Fate of the Defenders
by OmegusXIII
Summary: After the Kerberos Incident, Jenny Shaybon has volunteered to be a part of the Galaxy Garrison, in hopes of finding her lost sister and a close friend. But when Shiro survives, Jenny and their friends jump at the chance to save him, only to discover that there are more secrets than they even know. And what they find out will either save the universe or end it. (Rough Draft Story)
1. Prologue

Voltron: Legendary Defender  
"Fate of the Defenders" Prologue

 _10,000 years ago, there were five Paladins from uncharted regions of the universe. In the beginning, they were comrades in the face of war and desolation. Then, one day, fate brought them to a greater purpose. Thus, the legend of Voltron, began, a mighty robot loved by good, and feared by evil. However, the substance which created Voltron, Quintessence, slowly began to drive a wedge between the Paladins, for the Black Paladin, Zarkon, Emperor of the Galra, was drawn to its power and has become obsessed with ruling the universe with an iron fist. Desperate to protect the universe from his wrath, Alfor, the Red Paladin, and the leader of his planet Altea, hid Voltron away before being struck down by the tyrant. Following this, his home was destroyed._

 _10,000 years later, the Galra Empire had found the Red Lion and tracked the Blue Lion to Earth. Thus begins the story of the superforce of space explorers, specially trained and sent by destiny to bring back Voltron, Defender of the Universe._

 **A/N: Hello, all. Recently, I've found out I made a couple of mistakes in this story that go against the guidelines. My bad. So, I'm gonna make up for it, but it could take me up to half a year, so don't get too attached to my style of typing. As for the narration, though, imagine this being Peter Cullen. Before you go to the next chapter, my characters will have certain voices incorporated to their being, and I'd like to make it easier for you to know which is which, so I'll number them. And I'm trying to make sure it is not non-story content, so please bear with me. 1) Jenny Shaybon will be voiced by Erica Mendez. 2) Sandra Kogane is portrayed by Michelle Ruff. 3) Belle Shaybon will be voiced by Ashley Johnson. 4) Lapis will be voiced by Mae Whitman. 5) Zaltron will be voiced by Peter Cullen, who also voices the narrator. 6) Varek will be portrayed by Sean Schemmel. 7) Vaxel shall be portrayed by Frank Welker. 8) Zarix will be portrayed by Steve Blum. 9) Caxas will be portrayed by Alejandro Saab. 10) Kaecilius will be voiced by James Marsters. 11) Alphus will be portrayed by Willa Holland. 12) Omegus will be voiced by John Noble. 13) Jeffrey Combs will portray Babak. 14) Freddie Prinze Jr. will portray Jareth. 15) Topher Grace will portray Zach Brierty. And I'm also going to be adding more detail into the story with more scenes. So, my plan is to fix my error one chapter per week (or as much of it as I can anyway). But don't worry. The story's still going onward. It'll just take a bit longer for it to go forward. Wish me luck. :)**


	2. The Rise of Voltron

**A/N: Hi, guys. This is the start of my Voltron story. It actually started when I saw Hunk mention Jenny Shaybon. Now that it's been mentioned, I couldn't help but make a story with her involved this time. As for the other OC's, Dragon Ball Super, Transformers Prime, Superman: Doomsday, RWBY, and Dragons: Race to the Edge had a hand in helping me come up with their personalities. And also, Ayame belongs to Akame-no-Senshi for future reference. I hope you'll appreciate the story. Fair warning: it has three parts of the first episode, so I divided it accordingly. And this is a rewrite without the script format, so please bear with me on that as well (I tried my best). Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 1:** "The Rise of Voltron"

It started on Kerberos, moon of Pluto, where four pilots, Takashi Shirogane, Belle Shaybon, Matt, & Sam Holt, were analyzing the contents of it. Their mission from the Garrison was to collect rare ice samples from Kerberos for microscopic life signs of alien intelligence, easily making their travel the farthest man has ever gone. Sam, Matt's father, warned him to be careful with the contents.

"Easy, son. This ice is delicate."

"Amazing. Isn't this exciting, guys?"

Belle and Shiro weren't quite as enthusiastic about the samples.

"Honestly, it's just as exciting as Ice Fishing. Basically boring."

"You guys get a little more excited about ice samples than we do."

Sam couldn't help but think about what the Kerberos Mission meant for them as far as recognition.

"This is history in the making. Not only have we traveled farther than any human ever has, but this ice could hold microscopic clues about the existence of life outside Earth."

"Again, boring."

"Think of it, Belle. We could use those clues to become the first people to meet aliens."

That made Belle rethink her standing in the situation.

"Hold up. We could meet the aliens first? In that case, take that, Mr. President!"

That made Shiro chuckle a bit while Sam spoke.

"My life's work would be complete."

However, the shaking drove their minds towards another problem.

"What is that? Seismic activity?"

"On a moon? Give me a break."

"We should get back to the ship."

Just then, a larger and otherworldly ship arrived. At this moment, it'd seem Matt's theory about them being the first to meet aliens had come true, but he never mentioned them being friendly.

"What? What is that?"

Belle had an idea based on her preconceptions as to what it was.

"Is that... a mothership?"

Sam couldn't actually believe this to be happening.

"It can't be..."

Suddenly, the bottom of it had a glowing purple light coming from it.

What's more, that light sucked up every little thing that got in its path.

Faced with this quickly escalating situation, Shiro had to try this option.

"Run! Come on, run!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!"

With that, they took off just as the ship fired a red light, sucking up everything, along with the crew.

* * *

Later after that, Shiro and Belle slowly stirred from their sleep and opened their eyes to see an anthropomorphic creature communicating with its leader.

"Emperor Zarkon, we were scouting System X-9-Y as ordered when we found these primitive scientists. I don't think they know anything useful."

Then, the leader known as Zarkon spoke to him. He wore a purple and grey helmet with purple eyes.

"Take them back to the main fleet for interrogation. The Druids will find out what they know."

Then, as Belle watched Shiro tried to reach out to them. He thought it possible that they were self-defensive and trying to protect their own.

"Please, we come from a peaceful planet! We mean you no harm! We're unarmed!"

Then, a posh voice responded behind him and proved him otherwise.

"You really think we're that stupid, mortal?"

The figure with purple eyes, spiky white hair sticking upwards, and a black and red cloak blasted black and purple lightning at Shiro, causing him to shout in pain as Belle called out to him, worried for his life.

"Shiro!"

As he tortured him, the figure gave his knowledge on his kind.

"I've seen your kind from above. I know all that they've done. You all deserve _worse_ than this..."

Then, Zarkon snapped at him to restrain his murderous prejudice.

"Enough, Kaecilius."

With that, the figure known as Kaecilius halted his surge, causing Shiro to fall to the ground unconscious, leaving Belle scared for him as he held a complaint toward him.

"He can't very well reveal what he knows if he's dead."

"What's the point? Voltron or not, they'll never stand against us, anyway. The last human specimen we had was no outlier. You've seen this before."

Then, Shiro gasped upon learning this. What other human could've met this unfortunate situation, if any survived?

"Then you should have no problem interrogating them yourself. If they're as useless as you believe, _then_ you shall terminate them."

Kaecilius tensed while clenching his clawed hand before sighing in compliance.

"As you wish. Vrepit Sa."

With that, the transmission ended before Kaecilius dug his claw into Shiro's shoulder and dragged him in the floor, leaving Belle petrified with fear at the same time her anger was rising.

"What are you going to do with him? Answer me!"

Kaecilius ignored her pleas and turned to the soldiers.

"See to it that this vermin is locked up. She'll get her turn."

The soldiers nodded before they began to haul Belle off, only for her to mercilessly attack the guards, bashing one of them in the face before she took the other's gun and blasted him. Then, she glared at Kaecilius before firing at him. However, he was able to stop the blasts before firing his surge of lightning at her, causing her to scream in agony before she passed out. Following this, Kaecilius halted his surge once again as he came up with a different alternative. The last human specimen they had was just as resilient. But Zarkon wrote it off a long time ago. However, he had a certain feeling that she'd be more beneficial.

"On second thought, leave her with me. She could prove most useful."

With that, Kaecilius dragged Belle with him for interrogation and possible experimentation. As for Shiro and the others, they ended up dragged by the guards instead. As they did, the other prisoners looked toward him as if they're new. By which case, they were.

"Look, they brought in another one."

"Who is it?"

"Over there. It's another one."

Shiro could barely keep his eyes open as he took in his surroundings. It seemed to house a thousand prisoners. Shiro widened his eyes before he ended up tossed into one of the cells. After that, the soldier closed the door, locking him in. However, that didn't stop Shiro from running to it and banging on it, demanding to know where his best friend was being held.

"What have you done to Belle?! Where is she?!"

The guard gave him no heed as he walked away from him, leaving the prisoner to grow more volatile in temper.

"Tell me what you did to Belle! Answer me!"

Just when it seemed he wouldn't get the answer, a feminine voice responded to him.

"Don't bother."

Shiro turned to the source of the voice in confusion.

"Huh?"

The source of the noise stepped from the shadows to reveal a purple-skinned alien with furry ears, long dark purple hair, and yellow sclera and blue eyes. Then, he pieced it together. She was his cellmate. Perhaps a renegade who'd given up long ago.

"Wherever your friend is, she's as good as dead already."

Shiro didn't want to believe that, but tried to keep his cool just as he dug deeper into the meaning.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Exactly that. There is no escape."

Shiro only looked at her with determination to prove her wrong.

"I don't believe that. Somehow, someday, I will find a way to get out, and I'll get Belle back."

His cell mate smiled at his determination and had hopes of her own. Who knows how long she'd been trapped in this prison. If it meant she could have her own freedom, she'll have all the help she can get with open arms.

"Well, that'll be the day."

Then, the stranger extended her hand toward Shiro to engage in a handshake.

"My name is Lapis. What's yours?"

Shiro smiled and shook her hand back, this forging a partnership with her.

"I'm Takashi Shirogane. But you can call me Shiro."

* * *

 **ONE YEAR LATER**

* * *

A new team is seen going to Kerberos. The pilot is Lance, the engineer is Hunk, the comm spec is Pidge, and finally, the copilot is a young woman the age of 17 with long brown hair and dark blue eyes. Her name was Jenny Shaybon. Before she joined the garrison, she was just a regular girl. Her sister, Belle, went on the last Kerberos mission a year ago. Ever since she disappeared, her entire world was shattered to pieces. Then, in light of her loss, the Galaxy Garrison saw potential in her as well. As her days went on, she was ostracized by a group of bullies, but as mad as they made her, she chose not to leave. The only reason she accepted was to find her sister. Everyone else seemed convinced they were gone for good. Well, except for Pidge. He supported her, in fact. And he wasn't the only one. Ayame Shirogane, Takashi's younger sister, was trying her best to find them too. She'd joined the Garrison long before Jenny had. Even before her brother disappeared, she went through her own loss. Her best friend, Kumiko, took her own life by way of overdose. For a while after that, she pushed everyone away, even her own brother. But when they've vanished, Ayame had received a great reality check. Life may be short, but that was no reason to push people away trying to fix yourself. The best she could do was to pick herself up and move on. As proof of her resolve, she tried really hard to keep her team alive and in one piece. Jenny was told of her story and grew very close to her since then. However, six months following Shiro's disappearance, she went into space by herself desperate to find her brother. Jenny and Pidge found out about it the next morning and made the former all the more determined to go to Kerberos. Now, the opportunity had come for them to reap their reward for the efforts that were put into it as the three were flying to Kerberos in order to find them.

"Galaxy Garrison flight log 5-11-14. Begin descent to Kerberos for rescue mission."

Then, Lance lowered the craft towards the surface, much to the misfortune of Hunk. He was always the fastest to get sick, so Lance's movements didn't help.

"Lance, can you keep this thing straight?"

Jenny pitched into the argument for his sake.

"Yeah. As fun as it was, I'm not sure how much more he could take before he goes all upchucks."

"Relax, Jen. I'm just getting a feel for the stick. I mean, it's not like I did _this_."

As he enunciated, he swerved the ship, causing Hunk to get nervous.

"Or _this_."

Then, he swerved it again, causing Hunk to lean right before the trajectory returned to normal.

"Okay, unless you want to wipe beef stroganoff out of all the little nooks and crannies in this thing, you'd better knock it off, man!"

Jenny could tell he was rattled and did her best to soothe him.

"Relax, Hunk. Hopefully, that kind of trajectory is behind us from here on out."

Just then, Pidge saw the signal on the monitor.

"We've picked up a distress beacon!"

Opportunity at hand, Lance gave the order to be prepared.

"All right, look alive, team. Pidge, track coordinates."

"Copy."

Then, the ship began to shake, causing Hunk to feel uneasy.

"Knock it off, Lance, please!"

Jenny knew, however, from experience, that his movements had nothing to do with Hunk's sensitivity this time.

"That's not him this time. The hydraulic stabilizer's out."

Just as Hunk looked at the surveillance, he was about to spew, but he swallowed it. However, he knew he couldn't keep it up for long.

"Oh, no."

"Hang in there, Hunk. Remember, look to the horizon."

Then, the signal ended up cut off, much to Pidge's alarm.

"I lost contact. The shaking is interfering with our sensors."

Then, Jenny turned to Hunk. As it turned out, Hunk was also a genius in any sort of workings pertaining to science.

"How's it looking?"

"It's not responding."

In an attempt to repair it, he unbuckled and went to analyze it. Just then, they spotted a visual.

"Got it. Thar she blows. Preparing for approach on visual."

Pidge didn't find it wise considering their circumstances.

"I don't think that's advisable with our current and gastrointestinal issues."

Hunk, being the likeliest to spew, couldn't agree more.

"Agreed."

"Thanks for the input, but I don't think we have a choice."

"Besides, this baby can take it, can't you, champ?"

Then, the ship shook, disproving his point.

"See? She was- she was nodding. She was nodding."

As they drew closer, Jenny remembered the first thing in training when receiving signals.

"Pidge, can you hail down to them and let them know the cavalry has arrived?"

Then, Pidge unbuckled his harness and tried to speak through it.

"Attention, lunar vessel-"

Suddenly, the ship sent Pidge right off his seat, only for Jenny to catch him before he could hit the ground.

Jenny realized this mistake and thought it best to correct it before the situation got worse.

"That was close. Let's try that again with your belt on this time."

Then, she noticed Hunk struggling to fix it and maintain his lunch at the same time.

"Hunk, you gotta pull through for this."

"I'm try- Oh, no."

Jenny panicked and got out a paper bag from her pack and let Hunk puke his guts out into it.

After having been a victim of Hunk's spews in the past, she's prepared for it since then.

After that, she checked back with him.

"Feeling better?"

"A little."

Then, he got back to work while Jenny went to the ship's deck with Lance as Pidge related the message.

"Attention, lunar vessel, this is Galaxy Garrison Rescue Craft One Victor Six Three Tango. Coming in for landing and extraction, against crew recommendations."

Lance knew what that meant and didn't like that one bit, especially not during the rescue.

"No time for your mutinous comments now, Pidge. They're going under and we're going in."

Then, Lance began to swerve downward, worrying Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny.

"Uh-oh. Be careful with that overhang."

"No worries. My first year in flight school, you know what they called me? They called me 'the tailor' because of how I thread the needle."

Seeing his piloting for herself, Jenny had no doubts about that. Well, almost no doubts.

"Well, that's assuring. But keep it steady."

Then, they whoa'd as Lance turned the ship to its side. However, Jenny was keeping an eye on the wing and kept it in mind as Lance tried to pass it.

"Come around, come around! Come on, come on!"

Then, Jenny gave the signal.

"Now!"

Lance swerved the ship downward, barely scratching the wing, and giving the crew the relief they needed.

"Phew!"

Jenny, catching her own breath, assumed the worst to be over.

"That was close. Now all we have to do is land this puppy and we're all home free."

Then, they landed the ship on the moon safely by the crew. When the astronauts looked toward their saviors, Lance and the others waved at them as Pidge gave out a signal.

"This is Galaxy Garrison Rescue Craft One Victor Six Three Tango. We're ready for extraction."

Jenny looked back at Lance with a smile, knowing his talent and willingness to listen to others (even if it was mainly Jenny that he listens to) was what helped them make it.

"Nice job, 'Tailor'."

Then, suddenly, Jenny saw a familiar face from one of the astronauts. It was similar to her own face, but with blonde hair inside. Seeing this, Jenny grew surprised and shocked. This was their first time clearing the mission successfully, so the fact that she saw her sister's face was a miracle to her.

"Sis? Is that you?"

Suddenly, the monitor displayed two words in green as it spoke aloud.

"Simulation Passed."

Jenny began to get scared for her as reality began to distort her hopes.

"Huh? No! Sis, come back!"

Lance got a grip on her arms, causing her to calm down and take it in.

"Whoa, Jen. Take it easy. What was that about?"

"Sorry. I just thought I saw..."

Just then, the door opened to reveal a sergeant in a grey uniform with a black cap with one eye closed. His name was Iverson. He was the man who sent the last team to Kerberos a year ago. Now, he's training them, along with other groups of cadets.

"Roll out, crew."

* * *

Then, they stood in a single file line amongst a group of cadet pilots.

"Now let's see if we can't use this close call as a lesson for the rest of you students. Can anyone point out the mistakes these four cadets made in the simulator?"

Then, one student answered in compliance.

"The engineer puked in the gearbox."

"No. But you make a valid point. As everyone knows, vomit is _not_ an approved lubricant for engine systems. What else?"

"The comm spec removed his safety harness."

"Correct. And worst of all, the whole jump, they were arguing with each other. The only reason you passed was because miss Shaybon was able to put present issues to rest faster than you could."

Iverson placed his hand on his chest while making a salute up in the sky.

"Just like her sister, Belle. Of course you realize, you can't rely on her forever. Heck, if you're gonna be this bad individually, you'd better at least be able to work as a team! Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next elite astroexplorers, but these kinds of mental mistakes are exactly what will cost you your lives. We still have no clue what happened to the last crew on the Kerberos Mission."

Jenny felt like she had an idea she needed to get off her chest, considering its purpose.

"Oh, permission to speak, Commander?"

"Granted."

"Would it be crazy to assume... just hypothetically, that... aliens might have taken them?"

That caused Iverson to be appalled.

"What did you say?"

That caused Jenny to become sheepish, in fear of crossing the line.

"Just as a hypothesis, sir. I mean, that's one idea, right?"

"Yes. It would be crazy to assume that. _And_ that's one way to look at it. But I hope I don't need to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out."

"No, sir. You don't need to remind us."

Iverson only glared at her with a stern, serious look.

"Don't follow in his footsteps. And another thing: I need you in my office after class dismissal."

That intrigued one of the students that had short black hair while Jenny responded.

"Understood, sir."

Then, he called the next group over, one of which had that same boy.

"Next!"

The next group consisted of a blue-haired student, the green-haired one, a dark blue-haired girl with glasses, and the same student whose curiosity got piqued. The last two students turned to Jenny and nodded to her with a smile. Lance, however, misinterpreted that and flirted back at her, only to be slapped by Jenny, causing him to rub his cheek with a moan.

* * *

After class, Iverson had a private talk with Jenny. Unbeknownst to the whole class, Jenny was actually the one student in on Iverson's search for them. The fact that she almost let it slip was considered careless in his opinion.

"Why did you just blab it out to the students out there?"

"Well, technically, I didn't sir. Wasn't that the point of it being hypothetical?"

"That's no excuse, cadet. This whole search and rescue we're doing relies on secrecy. If any others find out, it could cause a panic. That's what these procedures are for."

Jenny wasn't entirely sure it was about preventing panic. The fact that the cadets were hardly interested was proof of it being otherwise.

"It doesn't look that way to me."

Iverson was beginning to snap due to the cold way she said it.

"Are you trying to sass me?"

"No. I'm trying to find out what you really need me for. You say that we were trying to find our lost comrades, but we've been at this for a whole year with nothing. Are we even looking for them, or just another planet where you'd like to dump us for dead?"

Iverson knew that kind of spirit she presented all too well and found it to be threatening. Even more so was her increasing lack of faith in him. If it went low enough, she could tell the whole class about what they've been up to.

"That's not what we're doing here!"

"Then what are we here for?!"

Then, Iverson caught his deep breath before reminding her about her purpose.

"Like I said, the Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next elite astroexplorers. Nothing's changed."

Jenny misinterpreted the situation and thought he'd deserted them.

"Then I've wasted a whole year for nothing."

Jenny began to walk out of the office as the sergeant barked at her.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm getting nowhere with you in finding my sis. I'm not gonna leave the Garrison, but from now on, I'm going to find them by myself."

"You're choosing the impossible."

"Watch me."

Then, she walked out the door with an angry look on her face.

As she walked in the hall, Jenny couldn't get over how she'd been used to help in something that had nothing to do with her sister. What was even the point anyhow? As she reflected on a waste of her year, Lance tried to talk to her.

"Hey, Jenny. You feeling alright?"

Jenny didn't even bother hiding her anger as she responded in sarcasm.

"Yeah. Just great."

Then, she heard a cocky voice behind him.

"Well, if that's true, why have you been going to his office for a whole year, then?"

That voice belonged to none other than Zach Brierty. He was a cadet who's top of the class, using his status to get his way all the time. Not only did Jenny resent him, she wanted him gone. And for good reason. Zach was one of the bullies who'd forced Kumiko to take an overdose that ended her. Since then, she's always wanted to kill him back. But the only reason she hadn't was because he was friends with Lance. But today, Lance was not in the mood to see him.

"Come on, Zach. Now's not the time."

"Really? Because I think now's the perfect time."

Zach placed his hand by Jenny's head on the wall as he spoke to her.

"If you're such a perfect little girl, why have you been going to Iverson's office 24/7, huh?"

"You know why. It's for therapy."

"I don't believe a word you say. Tell me what you're really doing."

Lance got the sense he was being threatening and tried to reason with him.

"You have your answer, Zach. Now knock it off."

"Oh, yeah? Well, what kind of therapy are you taking, huh?"

Then, Zach took notice of a notebook sticking out of her backpack. One way or another, he's gonna get his answers. So, he took the book, much to Lance and Jenny's surprise.

"Hey!"

"That's my book! Give it back, you jerk!"

"Or what? You'll tell Iverson? It's my word against yours. Besides, what's in that book that's so important, huh?"

"My grandpop gave it to me. That's all you need to know."

"Well, we both know that's a lie."

Then, Zach began sifting through the pages and began laughing his head off.

"I get it now. You bring a dream journal with you to class every day. Is that it?"

"Give it back!"

"Well, why don't you make me?"

Meanwhile, Lance is beginning to understand why Jenny hated him.

"Oh, wait. You can't."

"I said give it back!"

"Then tell me what you do in Iverson's office."

"That has nothing to do with you!"

"Neither does your journal."

Then, he gripped a paper from her journal and prepared to rip it out. Upon seeing him potentially ready to tear up the one part that keeps her happy despite her luck, Jenny got to her knees in desperation.

"No! Don't tear it up! Please!"

"Then tell me what you do in his office."

That was the last straw for Lance before he sucker punched Zach in the gut and got the journal back.

"She doesn't have to do anything for you."

Jenny stood in shock as Lance glared at his friend. She wondered what it meant. Had he finally seen Zach for the bully that he is?

"Come on, Lance. I was doing a joke."

"That was not a joke. You were hurting her!"

"Well, guess what? Being hurt builds character."

"Then you won't mind if I do this!"

Lance did a punch to his face next, knocking his teeth out as the crowd of students watched in surprise. Apparently, that one punch was enough to bruise him and knock out three of his teeth. As Zach noticed this and growled at him, Jenny stood up in surprise.

"If that's what you think, then we're not friends anymore."

Zach was surprised to hear him say that after what they'd been through together.

"What? You're taking her side over mine?"

"So what if she's got a dream journal? I respect that about her because she is a person who does her own things and minds her own business. But you don't. You're just a kid, Zach. Look around you. Everyone else here has grown up. If you can't deal with it, that's too bad, but don't you dare take it out on Jenny."

Then, the group of students stood by Jenny and Lance as she looked at their support. Maybe they've suffered under him, too. Whatever the reason, they're all against him now. The fact that it took place made Zach glare at Jenny before he stormed off.

"This isn't over."

Pidge and Hunk arrived in time to see Zach storm off and see the group of students stand by Lance and Jenny. In the process, they also noticed the tears on Jenny's face before she checked on her.

"Jenny!"

"Oh, my gosh. Are you alright? What happened?"

Lance explained the situation to them.

"Zach hurt Jenny. But he's not gonna hurt anyone anymore. And if he does, I'll make him regret that."

Then, Jenny leaned on him in gratefulness before she commenced the waterworks.

"Why did you let him do this to me before now?"

Lance wrapped his arms around Jenny as he spoke to her.

"I've made a mistake having him as a friend, Jenny. But I can assure you it'll never happen again."

* * *

Later, Jenny got back into her casual clothing, her navy blue long sleeved shirt with dark blue jeans before she got on the laptop, chatting with the girl in glasses who nodded to her earlier. There, Jenny told her about Zach's attack on her and Lance's involvement.

"What? He just sucker-punched the guy?"

"Yeah, Riz. He hurt me real bad, so Lance hurt him back. It's strange, though. The whole year I've ignored him and today... I've never felt so weak. If Lance hadn't stepped in, my life would've been over."

"Uh, that journal of yours isn't your whole life."

"I know. But... it's an important part of it. I owe Lance so much for saving it..."

This wasn't the first time Lance had helped her either. When Jenny joined the Garrison, she got acquainted with Hunk and Lance quickly. As cocky as he seemed, Lance was actually a great boy with a heart. Jenny saw through it when she was invited over to his house. The night she spent with him and his younger sister sealed it for her. After reminiscing of her fond memory, she went to another topic.

"So, how'd your simulation go, Rizavi? Pretty hectic?"

"Nah. It was a breeze, actually. I actually got the same record as the kid who left."

"Oh, yeah. What was his name again?"

"Why don't you just ask Iverson?"

"And skimp out on girl talk? No thanks."

"Fine. His name was Keith. Rumor has it that Sandra, or Sandy as I like to call her, meets up with him roaming the outlands sometimes. Then, they catch up."

"That sounds really interesting, Riz. Maybe I could ship these two."

That made Rizavi widen her eyes in shock.

"What? Her, with him?"

"I don't see why not. They are pretty intense together."

"Y-You don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever."

Just then, Jenny heard Iverson speaking out.

"Lights out in five! Everybody back to their dorms, now."

All the while, she also noticed Lance and Hunk "sneaking".

"I'll have to talk to you later, Riz. I've just found myself some perps to catch."

"Yeah. I have to go, too. And hey, good luck catching those perps."

Lance and Hunk were against the walls, ducking under the windows as they had a conversation.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

"You heard Commander Iverson. We need to bond as a team. We're going to grab Jenny and Pidge, hit the town, loosen up, meet some nice girls-"

Just then, Jenny's voice spoke to him.

"So you can rub it in my face? You must be begging for another slap on yours."

That made Lance panic before Jenny covered his mouth.

"Shh. Keep it down, will you? I'm already in enough trouble just by being around you."

Hunk voiced his opinion just as the lights switched off.

"Okay, I'm just- I'm just saying this here, right now, on the record. This is a bad idea."

"So? When has the fact actually stopped you guys?"

"Yeah, Hunk. For someone in a space exploration program, you don't have much of a sense of adventure."

"That's definitely saying something. Because I actually don't have any to spare."

Lance found Jenny's statement to be odd, but used that moment to flirt with her.

"I guess mine must have rubbed off on you."

Jenny noticed this and smiled smugly at him.

"You wish."

"That's because all of your little adventures end up with me in the principle's office."

Jenny urged everyone to shush before Lance took a look and made sure they weren't followed. Then, they crawled below the window labeled "Instructor's Lounge", much to Hunk's worry.

"Oh, man."

Later, they saw a guard coming through the hall, forcing Jenny and Lance to go in the blue receptacle whilst Hunk took the yellow one, barely able to squeeze into it. Then, the guard passed the receptacles.

"L-5 north all clear."

When he had left, Lance leaped out first with Jenny just standing up out of it.

"You know, this wasn't exactly a gym."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I'm just flexible like that."

Then, Hunk popped up with difficulty and fell down, only for Jenny to catch it and set it down gently before pulling Hunk out of it.

"You okay, big guy?"

"I'm fine."

Just then, they noticed door A-35 opening and his behind the walls. When they looked, they noticed Pidge walking out and running out with his backpack. Lance and Jenny grew curious as to why at the moment.

"Where is he going?"

"I'd like to know that, too."

* * *

With that, they followed Pidge to the rooftop, where he was listening in on radio chatter. Just then, Lance removed one earphone and spoke in his ear.

"You come up here to rock out?"

That made Pidge gasp in surprise and saw Lance, Hunk, and Jenny behind him.

"Oh, Lance, Hunk, Jenny. No, um, just looking at the stars."

Jenny knew that with his equipment, there is always more to the story and acted like she was in a noir mystery movie before Lance chimed in and Pidge conceded eventually.

"Listen here, you 8-bit gentleman. That's a 2-bit story, and I'm not buying it, see?"

"Where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech."

"I built it."

"You built all of this?"

Hunk was about to press a button on the laptop when Pidge slapped it away.

"Stop it!"

Jenny became curious about Pidge's work as she blinked her eyes.

"What for? The tech, I mean."

"With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system."

Jenny had an idea and tried to be as sensitive as she could.

"You mean to Kerberos?"

However, that didn't work and got Pidge fumed.

"Sorry. Don't get me wrong, I get it. I lost my sis at the Kerberos Mission. How do you think I've been able to cope with this?"

Lance found her outburst at the simulation to be the opposite of that.

"As if. You went kinda crazy at the simulation earlier today."

"That's just it. I haven't coped yet. And I don't know if I ever will."

Lance began to feel bad for her as he pieced the puzzle together.

"That's the reason why you've joined the garrison, isn't it? So you could get her back?"

As Jenny nodded, Lance sat down beside her and set his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. I'm sorry I ever brought you into that simulator. If I had known that her face was what you'd be seeing, I wouldn't have brought you along."

However, Jenny just smiled at this as she turned to Lance.

"Hey, take it easy. This isn't about me. This is about Pidge. Speaking of, I see you get tense about it every time the Commander brings it up. What's going on with that?"

Hunk was about to touch it, but Pidge caught on and told him off.

"Second warning, Hunk!"

Hunk groaned as Lance made a point.

"Look, Pidge, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets."

Jenny found herself in agreement before she spoke to him.

"As much as I'd like to slap him on the face, he's right. What are you looking for?"

"Fine. The world as you know it is about to change."

"How so?"

"The last crew on the Kerberos Mission was lost, but we don't know how, right?"

"Yeah, according to..."

Just then, Jenny saw Hunk's hand and slapped it like a bullet.

"OWWWWW!"

"What did he say, Hunk? Geez. Anyway, what did you find?"

"I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter."

That caught Hunk and Jenny's attention while Lance just brushed it off as insanity.

"Whoa, what? Aliens?"

"I knew it!"

"Okay. So, you're insane. Got it."

Jenny cleared her throat before digging through her backpack as she explained.

"Pidge is actually onto something. My grandpop told me our family had an ancestor that provided enlightenment for our race."

She finally found her journal and showed Lance a drawing of a blue lion with the word Voltron below it.

"And, on top of that, there's also _this_. Our ancestor knew that kind of lion was a key to Voltron, whatever that is."

"Now that you mention it, they did keep repeating one word, 'Voltron.' And tonight, it's going crazier than I've ever heard it."

"How crazy?"

Jenny knew the answer to that.

"Too crazy to be a coincidence, I'll tell you that."

Just then, Iverson spoke through the speakers throughout the building.

 _"Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice."_

That proved Jenny's point.

"See? Even Iverson got spooked. Coincidence? I think not!"

"What's going on? Is that a meteor? A very, very big meteor?"

When Pidge looked through the goggles, he saw a ship crashing down toward them.

"It's a ship."

Lance took the goggles and saw for himself.

"Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours."

Jenny and Pidge knew the reason why.

"That's because it isn't from Earth."

"It's one of theirs."

"So, wait. There really are aliens out there?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, the good ones."

With that, the alien ship crashed. Following this, the vehicles of the Galaxy Garrison mobilized toward it. All the while, Pidge, Jenny, and Hunk grew excited about it.

"We've got to see that ship!"

"Sure, I'm game!"

"Hunk, come on!"

However, Hunk wasn't quite as ecstatic.

"Oh, this is the worst team-building exercise ever."

* * *

Later, Jenny and the others were watching far away in the mountain keeping surveillance on the recent activity as Lance spoke in surprise while Jenny casually responded.

"Whoa! What the heck is that thing?"

"Uh, it's an alien ship. Didn't we establish that already?"

Lance got miffed about it, but decided to let it slide.

"You're lucky you're so beautiful."

That made Jenny's face beet red before she tried to hide it.

"Whatever."

Then, she looked through the goggles and saw guards at every exit and entrance.

"No such luck. We obviously can't just waltz in. How are we supposed to take a look now?"

Hunk took that as a cue to leave.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess there's nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?"

That caused Jenny to clutch onto Hunk's shirt and glare at him.

"We're not leaving. If there's a chance these aliens know where my sis is, I'm not going to just walk away, not until I know where she is. Got it?"

That earned a frightened look from Hunk as well as a surprised one from Lance and Pidge. As Jenny released Hunk, she felt like they were suspicious.

"What are you looking at?"

Lance pointed out the obvious fact, although he hesitated at first.

"Uh... Looks like Pidge isn't the only one who has a hangup."

That earned a scornful look from Jenny, as angry as she got.

"Yeah? Well, what would you do if Veronica was lost in space and you have an opportunity just waiting for you to take it, huh?"

"Whoa. That is just cold."

Jenny realized her mistake and felt bad about it.

"I know. Sorry, guys. I just really want her back."

Just then, Pidge found surveillance footage and pulled it up.

"Wait. They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!"

* * *

On one side of the room was Iverson and the others surrounding Shiro while another group swarmed in around Lapis, who was strapped to the bed. Not that she'd noticed as she was unconscious.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Calm down, Shiro. We just need to keep you two quarantined until we run some tests."

"You have to listen to me! They destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!"

* * *

Lance recognized who was speaking to them.

"That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission! That guy's my hero!"

"That means... he should know where my sis is!"

"Guess he's not dead in space, after all."

"Where's the rest of the crew?"

Jenny then noticed a purple catlike alien being beside him as she spoke.

"More importantly, who is that with them? She doesn't really belong on Earth, does she?"

"Wait. How do you know it's a she?"

"Well, did you see its chest? It's similar to mine."

That caused Lance to blush like wildfire.

"Okay. Forget I said that."

As they pondered this, Iverson began asking Shiro some questions.

"Do you know how long you've been gone?"

"I don't know. Months? Years? Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us. We have to find Voltron."

That caught Jenny's attention. "Did he just say Voltron?"

* * *

Meanwhile, one of the scientists analyzed Shiro's arm.

"Sir, take a look at this. It appears his arm has been replaced with a cyborg prosthetic."

Iverson felt it to be dangerous if it's unknown.

"Put him under until we know what that thing can do."

"No, no, no, no, don't put me under! No! There's no time!"

* * *

Jenny grew heartbroken to see this as the group watched.

"They didn't ask about the rest of the crew."

Jenny clenched her fist in anger.

"Or my sis..."

"What are they doing? The guy's a legend. They're not even gonna listen to him?"

With that, Jenny smashed her fist on the mountain, shocking the others.

"That settles it! We're getting him and whoever was with him out and getting some answers."

However, Hunk didn't feel it best before Jenny corrected him.

"I hate to be the voice of reason here, always..."

"No, you don't."

"...but weren't we just watching on TV, because there was no way to get past the guards?"

Taking her feelings in account, Lance sided with her.

"That was before Jenny smashed the mountain, Hunk. This isn't just some adventure anymore. This has gotten too personal for her to just walk away. She _needs_ this. So, would you rather help out a friend? Or would you rather have an angry woman hounding you all day because you never bothered to help?"

Jenny heard the words coming out of Lance's mouth and grew surprised.

"Lance..."

"We're not gonna give up on finding her, Jen. I promise."

As Lance cupped Jenny's cheek, she blushed and hugged him.

"Thanks, Lance."

As Lance hugged her back, he suddenly saw a familiar face down below where the ship was as she arrived in her vehicle.

"Hey. Who's that?"

Jenny looked behind her to see a woman with short black hair as well.

"Is that... Sandy?"

Then, she pushed a button on her remote, causing an explosive chain reaction just outside the area, causing the Garrison to swarm towards it. Then, Sandra signaled for a stranger to move forward and come to the rescue. His identity was unknown due to his red bandana over his mouth.

"Of course. Sandy was distracting them so they can get in. But... what are they doing here? And who's that with her?"

However, that didn't stop Lance from recognizing using him.

"No way! Oh, he is not going to beat us in there! That guy is always trying to one-up me!"

Jenny had a feeling about who it was

"Let me guess, Keith?"

"Oh, I'd recognize that mullet anywhere!"

Then, Lance took off like a rocket, leaving Jenny, Hunk, and Pidge behind before they ran toward him.

"Who's Keith?"

"It's kinda a long story."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Sandra walked in to see the scientists analyzing Lapis and Shiro.

"These readings are off the chart."

Then, Sandra spoke to them.

"Let them go, now."

However, they chose not to and went after them.

"Hey!"

When one of them tried to catch Keith, Sandra only tripped him before grabbing his leg and tossing him into the wall. Next, Keith sucker punched the other towards the other side. Then, Keith and Sandra punched the third one to the bed, knocking him out as he fell to the floor. Then, they smiled at each other before looking at the patients. Keith noticed one in particular that was familiar.

"Shiro?"

Then, Sandra saw the other patient, Lapis, and had a plan.

"I'll get Shiro. You can take care of whatever this is."

Keith nodded in agreement as Sandra got out her blade and slashed through the rope. Keith removed his bandanna and took a look at Lapis as she moaned.

"It's a girl."

Then, Keith got out his blade and did the same. With that, Sandra held Shiro by his arm while Keith held Lapis bridal style. When she stirred awake, she saw Keith looking at her.

"W-Who... are you? Do you... know Shiro?"

"Of course. We're his friends. My name's Keith."

"I'm Lapis. It's great to meet you."

Then, Keith looked to Sandra who smirked at him while Shiro came to. Just then, Lance shouted out at them.

"Nope. No, you- No. No, no, no, no, no. No, you don't. I'm saving Shiro."

Then, just as he was about to get Shiro, she noticed Sandra holding onto him.

"Uh, I mean we! We're saving Shiro."

Keith wondered who he was as he put his other arm under his head.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance."

Keith just blankly stared at him.

"Do I know you? Are you an engineer?"

Sandra blinked her eyes in confusion at how he couldn't recognize him.

"Uh, you two know each other. You were in the same class as the Garrison. Remember?"

"Oh, wait, I remember you. You're a cargo pilot."

" _Was._ Thanks to your dropping out, he's fighter class material."

"Well, congratulations."

Jenny tried to understand the situation.

"Uh, Sandy. Can you please tell me what's going on here?"

Then, Sandra, Lance, and Keith began walking out of the tent.

"We'll explain later. We have to go."

* * *

Outside, Hunk saw through the goggles and saw the Garrison coming back.

"Oh, man. They're coming back and they do not look happy. We've got to go."

As Hunk and Pidge ran after them, Sandra set Shiro on her vehicle while Keith set Lapis just behind her as Hunk, Jenny, and Lance went on his vehicle and Pidge vied to go with her. However, when Hunk sat down, the back end tipped over, worrying Lapis as she wrapped her hands on his chest.

"Is that going to work?"

"No. But we'll have to make due."

As the Garrison drew closer, Keith shouted to the others behind him.

"You might want to hold on!"

"What?!"

"What are you-?"

"Holding!"

With that, Sandra turned to Pidge and gave him the similar warning.

"You better hang on tight, Pidge."

Pidge agreed as he wrapped his hands around Shiro as he was behind her and in front of Pidge. Then, Keith and Sandra revved the engine before they took off with their stowaways. As they drove off, Lapis found herself to be enjoying this while Pidge complained about his hands wrapped around Shiro.

"Whoo-hoo!"

"Why am I holding this guy?"

"So he doesn't abandon ship. Now quit complaining."

When he noticed them, Lance grew worried.

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

"We could toss out some non-essential weight."

That angered Jenny to no end.

"And leave Lance out there?! Man, you _are_ cold!"

Keith knew Hunk would be useful in this case.

"Big man, lean left!"

Fortunately, Hunk got the message and did just that, swerving the vehicle to that side while Sandra did the same. In the process, they juked two vehicles behind them, causing them to crash and land upside down.

"Aw, man! Mr. Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery! No, no. He's fine."

Then, Keith gave another command as they got closer.

"Big man, lean right!"

When he did, they ended up jumping onto the other cliffside, causing one of the two vehicles to crash upon landing while the remaining vehicle continued pursuit. Then, Iverson spoke through speakerphone on the vehicle.

"Just what do you nimrods think you're doing?!"

Jenny spoke back to him.

"Just doing my duty, sir!"

Then, Sandra sped up toward something. Hunk knew where she was headed.

"Guys? A-tut-tut-tut-tut! Is that a cliff up ahead?"

Lance noticed that too and started to panic.

"Oh, no, no, no!"

However, Jenny was getting excited while Keith smiled. Lapis, however, showed some concern.

"Go faster, go faster, go faster!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yep."

Then, the both of them sped up and ended up falling off of the cliff as they screamed and/or shouted in excitement. Lance was getting scared straight at this point.

"What are you doing? You're going to kill us all!"

Jenny knew that wasn't his plan as she smiled.

"C'mon, Lance! Where's your sense of adventure?!"

"Touché!"

Then, Lapis got curious.

"You know how to solve this, right?"

Keith only smiled as he pulled the engine back and caused the vehicle to pull up at the last second as Sandra did the same and the two vehicles continued on through the desert while Iverson only watched where he had stopped, just at the edge of the cliff.

* * *

The next day, Keith was walking towards Shiro, who stared at his prosthetic arm before he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

"So, what happened out there? Where were you?"

"I wish I could tell you. My head's still pretty scrambled. I was on an alien ship, but somehow I escaped. It's all a blur."

Then, this brought something else to mind.

"How did you know to come save me when I crashed?"

"You should come see this."

* * *

Inside Keith's shack, Jenny was sleeping beside Lance, much to his comfort. After everything that's happened to her, he could tell she needed it. Just then, Keith and Shiro walked in, the former removing the cloth from the board to reveal detailed images with lines that show their connections in the scheme of things. That caused Jenny to stir awake. As she tried to ask about the board, Jenny was too drowsy to speak right, drawling as the words came out of her mouth.

"Wha...? What's that?"

"I can't explain it, really. After getting booted from the Garrison, I was kind of lost and found myself drawn to this place. I talked to Sandra about it and asked her for help."

Jenny smiled about what she thought it meant.

"I see. You two got it really bad for each other, don't you?"

"What? No. We were just-"

"Keith is actually my brother."

Hearing this, Jenny's eyes grew wide as they blinked. "Huh. Rizavi was right. I didn't know what I was talking about. But, now that I think about it, it does make sense."

"Anyway, it's like something... some energy was telling us to search."

"For what?"

"Well, I didn't really know at the time... until I stumbled across this area."

As he explained, Keith pointed at the map saying, "energy source".

"It's an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they all share clues leading to some event, some arrival happening last night. Then you showed up."

Seeing this, Jenny didn't hesitate to get out the journal and show a certain page.

"You mean like this?"

Keith was surprised to see it in her journal.

"Well, yeah. How did you have this?"

"Well, my grandpop actually told me about this. Said that my ancestor rode this lion with its Paladin to get here. While he was guarding it, he got married and told her and his descendants about its purpose. But... even when he shared his life with them, he was still... sad. Incomplete, even. As if he wanted it all back."

Shiro placed his hand on Jenny's shoulder, causing her to look toward him.

"Well, your ancestor must have been through a lot. That's gotta be where his family came in. Any time he must've been down, they were there to help him up."

"Yeah. But it didn't make me feel any better, though. To know that he died so sad... that's just heartbreaking."

"I don't think he died that way. I think he died proud, knowing someday, his descendants will carry on whatever he started. That they'll pick up where he'd left off. Does that make sense?"

Jenny took every word of what he'd been told into account and smiled before nodding.

"I should thank you all for getting me out. Jenny, right?"

As Shiro extended his hand to her, Jenny looked at his prosthetic arm and felt a bit tense before clutching onto it and shaking it gently, afraid that it might come off. Then, Jenny turned to Lance and helped him shake his hand, getting used to the arm herself.

"His name's Lance. He calls himself the 'tailor.'"

Then, as Jenny giggled at that, Pidge spoke up.

"The nervous guy's Hunk. I'm Pidge. So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?"

"I'm not sure. I remember the mission and being captured. After that, it's just bits and pieces."

Jenny was focused on one particular member of the crew.

"But what about Belle? Did she make it out?"

Shiro only shook his head.

"I don't know..."

Jenny hung her head down in sadness.

"Oh. I'm sorry to bother you."

Lance, however, knew that despite her words, her looks said otherwise. He placed his arm around her and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay, Jen. He probably doesn't remember. It'll just take a while. I promise you, Belle's still alive."

Jenny responded back to him in a deadpan voice.

"How do you know?"

Lance, caught off guard as he was, gave an honest answer.

"I just... have this feeling. I honestly don't know, but... we're not gonna give up. That's what I do know."

Jenny looked up to him and planted a small kiss on his cheek, causing him to get confused.

"Huh? What was that for?"

"For being so sweet. Honestly, I like you better this way."

Lance blushed before Hunk spoke up.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but back to the aliens. Where are they now? Are they coming? Are they coming for us? Like, where are they at this very moment?"

Lapis filled in for him. "First off, they're known as Galra. Secondly, yes, no, and they're about five kilometers from here with the time that's passed." That caught Keith's attention.

"It's because you're one of them, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it was more or less a curse than a blessing. I was born a prisoner. Over time, I sometimes had dinner with Sendak. He took me in when my parents were killed by him. Other than that, I wasn't allowed to leave. I was alone until a year ago. Right when Shiro arrived."

That made Jenny's heart skip a beat.

"Wait! What about my sis? Do you know where she is?"

Despite it being so sudden, she answered just as efficiently.

"Yeah, actually. Last I saw, she's still on the ship."

Jenny did a fist pump in response.

"Alright!"

Despite this, Shiro tried to remember more than that, but couldn't.

"If you're asking me, I can't really put it together. I remember the word 'Voltron.'"

"Just like from my journal."

"Yeah. It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do."

That gave Jenny an idea.

"Of course. That must've been where my ancestor came from: space! It all makes so much sense now!"

"Great. But how are we supposed to find it?"

"Well, last night, I was rummaging through Pidge's stuff, and I found this picture. Look, it's his girlfriend."

However, Pidge wasn't very pleased with that and snatched it.

"Hey, give me that! What were you doing in my stuff?"

"I was looking for a candy bar. But, then, I started reading his diary."

That made Jenny slap Hunk on the face again.

"Ow!"

"Remind me not to keep my stuff anywhere near you."

Then, she held her pack close to her before speaking.

"Anyway?"

"Anyway, I noticed the repeating series of numbers the Galra are searching for looks a lot like a Fraunhofer line."

Keith and Lapis grew confused at the mention of this.

"Frown who?"

"It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element, only this element doesn't exist on Earth. I thought it might be this Voltron, and I think I can build a machine to look for it, kinda like a Voltron Geiger counter."

Immediately, Lance and Jenny grew impressed simultaneously.

"Hunk, you big, gassy genius!"

"It's pretty fascinating, really. The wavelength looks like this."

Then, Sandra saw the connection and snatched the paper showing the wavelength.

"Hold on a sec."

Then, she lined it with the mountain on the picture, showing that the wave and the tops of the mountain align with each other.

* * *

Later on, Keith, Shiro, Lance, Jenny, Sandra, Pidge, Hunk, and Lapis were out in the front of the mountain from the picture.

"Okay, I admit it. This is super freaky."

"I told you so."

As they walked, Hunk led the way searching for the energy via Geiger Counter while Pidge scanned the area with the satellite tracker.

"I'm getting a reading."

With Hunk leading the way, Pidge, Shiro, Sandra, Jenny, Keith, Lance, and Lapis followed them as they got closer to the source, identified by an intensified beeping. When they got there, they saw a cave. Jenny felt it to be a bit clichéd.

"Of course. It's always a cave."

As they looked around, Jenny tried her hardest to resist the temptation of taking photos of the drawings as Shiro asked Keith.

"What are these?"

"These are the lion carvings I was telling you about. They're everywhere around here."

Lapis knew the reason.

"Maybe they're for a good reason. Like, what if they're trying to lead us to the lion in your journal, Jenny?"

"If that happens to be the case, I get first dibs."

Lance, however, felt it was a bit premature.

"Maybe you have too much of a sense of adventure."

Jenny giggled as she and Lance brushed the dust away from one of the drawings, coincidentally touching each other's hands, and causing them to blush before they looked away from each other smiling. Suddenly, the drawings themselves began to glow blue, causing Jenny and Lance.

"Whoa. Whoa!"

"Lance did it!"

"What?"

"Do you know what's going on, Keith?"

"No. They've never done that before."

"Uh, try not to look down while you're at it, but..."

Suddenly, a blue hole opened up below them and broke apart. As they fell, Pidge rode on Hunk, pulling his hair as they screamed. Meanwhile, Jenny and Lance were holding their hands as they slid across the water while Sandra was riding the water on her feet. As for Keith, Lapis, and Shiro, they were riding the water individually. Just as Lance and Jenny landed on their rumps, Keith, Lapis, and Shiro landed next before Pidge and Hunk landed with a big splash, followed by Sandra who leaped from where the edge was and landed on the water, making a small splash. When they got up, Jenny was still pumped up from the sudden water slide.

"Let's go again!"

However, it was put on hold as she noticed that she was holding Lance's hand again, causing them to blush again before they noticed the Blue Lion in Jenny's journal surrounded by a blue barrier.

"They are everywhere."

"Is this it, Jenny? Is this the Voltron?"

"Nope. According to grandpop, it's one/fifth of him."

"One/fifth? What do you mean? Looks like it's in one piece to me."

"This is what's been causing all of this crazy energy out here."

Jenny scoffed as she walked up to the barrier while Lance walked beside her.

"The force field's here to keep intruders out. So, how we're gonna convince it to open up, I don't know."

"Maybe you just have to knock."

"Eh. Couldn't hurt."

With that, Jenny and Lance knocked simultaneously on the barrier before the barrier disappeared and the markings below the lion glowed. As it did, Jenny and Lance were receiving a vision of the five lions merging together to form a giant robot who brought up a sword etched in fire before slashing it to demonstrate its power. After seeing the vision, Jenny and Lance, along with the others, grew very surprised.

"Whoa."

"Uh, did everyone just see that?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa. Talk about an overload."

"Voltron is a robot! Voltron is a huge, huge, awesome robot!"

"And this thing is only one part of it! I wonder where the rest of them are."

"Like I said, I told you so."

"This is what they're looking for."

"Incredible."

As they looked at it, Lance had an uneasy feeling.

"Hey, does anyone else get the feeling this is staring at them?"

"Now that you mention it, it's hard to tell. I can't tell which one of us it's staring at."

As if to answer, the blue lion lowered its head to Lance and Jenny before opening its mouth. After a moment, Lance chuckled as he ran into it, much to Jenny's behest.

"H-Hey! I called dibs!"

"Since when?"

"Since we got into this cave, dummy!"

When they got in the cockpit, Jenny ran into the chair, beating Lance to it.

"Aw, man!"

As Jenny made a face, the chair suddenly pulled her towards the front as it turned on. As it showed the visuals, the group was in awe as they walked in as well.

"All right! Very nice!"

"This feels so weird... and yet, so awesome!"

"Okay, guys, I feel the need to point out, just so that we're all, you know, aware. We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now."

Jenny was frankly not very happy with Hunk's implication.

"Way to kill the mood, Hunk."

Just then, Jenny and Lance felt a connection to the blue lion as it purred and everything else around them disappeared as they saw a blue outline of the space they occupied.

"Whoa. Did you guys just hear that?"

Keith grew confused at the question As he didn't hear anything.

"Hear what?"

"That deep growl. You didn't hear that?"

"Wait. You heard that, too?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I think it might be talking to us."

"Gee, you think?"

Lapis grew curious.

"Well, if it is talking to you guys, what would it be trying to say?"

Lance closed his eyes as he tried to listen to the lion once it purred again. Once it was finished, he opened his eyes.

"Okay. It's saying that we should go back home."

This made Jenny angry as she spoke.

"What? It's telling you to give up?!"

"Nope. Just that I should go home."

This made Jenny confused as she blinked her eyes and spoke softly.

"Okay."

Seeing her reaction, Sandra grew curious.

"That's weird. With your temper, you'd swing your fist at the lion, like Lance did with Zach."

"Well, normally, I would. But it's different. Somehow, it is different."

Lance spoke in agreement as he chimed in.

"She's right. It showed me some sort of castle. On an alien planet. Just like the one on Jenny's journal."

This made Keith look at her in annoyance.

"Your journal? Again?"

"When you've listened to the number of stories I have, you'd know I'd have a book full of them. And you do."

Lance blinked his eyes in confusion and wanted to know about anything else in advance.

"Okay. Well, anything else we should know about on your journal?"

"Well, there's someone named Allura at the castle. She's really beautiful, by the way."

That made Lance excited.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's take you home!" Then, as Lance inputted a few buttons, the blue lion got up, and roared, surprising the present group.

"Whoa. That was... powerful."

Then, Lance reached for the two bars in front of him.

"Okay. Let's see what this puppy can do."

Then, he thrusted them forward, causing the lion to emerge from a canyon and into the air before it produced Blue fire from its legs to act as a sort of jetpack. The lion hovered above the ground before it took off for the air, while Lapis, Shiro, Sandra, Keith, and Jenny clutched onto areas of the lion to keep from falling while Pidge and Hunk screamed. As for Jenny, she was keeping her eyes on what's in front of her as she smiled. However, Keith wasn't too pleased about his speed.

"You are... the worst... pilot... ever!"

"Hey, give him a break, will ya?! This is his first time flying a lion!"

Suddenly, the lion began to speed along faster toward the ground as if it was a fighter jet, earning Lance, Pidge, and Hunk's screams as Lance began to panic a bit.

"That's not me, guys. That's not me!"

* * *

Far away, Iverson saw the blue lion flying in front of them.

"What in the Sam Hill is that?"

His private looked through the goggles and determined its appearance.

"It appears to be a flying blue lion, sir."

In confusion, the private scratched his head.

* * *

Back at the lion, as it tread the ground with its paws, Jenny was getting used to it as she took a deep breath.

"Phew. Okay, I'm getting the hang of this."

Hunk, however, was beginning to get sick, again.

"Make it stop. Make it stop."

"I can't. This lion's got a mind of its own. Literally!"

To further prove her point, the lion propelled itself into the air again.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you! I'm not the one controlling it!"

Just then, Lance heard the purr again, making Jenny curious.

"Hold up. It says there's a Galra ship approaching Earth. I think we need to stop it."

"What did it say, exactly?"

"Well, it didn't really say anything, so much as feed images in our heads. This is how these lions communicate."

Hunk wanted to just go home and wanted to do anything to get out of this.

"Well, if this thing is the weapon they're coming for, why don't we just, like I don't know, give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone. Sorry, lion. Nothing personal."

Jenny glared at Hunk for suggesting it, as she clearly didn't want to let the lion go.

"No way! They can have their own lion; We're not giving blue up just like that!"

Hunk felt she's getting too attached too fast.

"Now you're naming it?"

Lapis couldn't agree more, but for her own reason.

"It's not that simple. We might've been that agreeable a long time ago, but this is different. There's no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything is dead. Do you really want that?"

Hunk immediately began to regret suggesting this idea.

"Oh. Never mind then."

Just then, Jenny felt another connection up from the Galra ship and heard Kaecilius' voice.

* * *

 _"So... the blue lion is activated. Agent Kren, I trust you'll manage its capture?"_

 _Then, the figure walked towards_ Kaecilius _in the similar armor as Zarkon, only with glowing purple lights on her chest and looked exactly like... Belle._

 _"Yes, master."_

* * *

Jenny couldn't believe what she'd witnessed as she snapped out of it and found themselves in front of the ship.

"Sis...?"

Then, she took notice of the warship in front of them.

"Sis! She's in there!"

"How do you know that?!"

"I saw her! Blue showed me!"

Then, she didn't hesitate to dart the lion towards the deck, causing Kaecilius to act by extending his hand out to it, causing it to be knocked away, as if it was a force field. Shiro could see what Jenny saw as well now as he snarled.

"Kaecilius..."

Lapis grew worried at the mere mention of it.

"He's here?!"

* * *

In the ship, Kaecilius turned to another soldier, one who had sharp claws, black armor with glowing red streaks, purple skin and ears, and yellow sclera with grey eyes who goes by the name of Varek, and gave him an order.

"Varek, shoot around the ship. Capturing that lion is your first and only priority."

"Yes. All cannons, fire near the lion, but don't hit it!"

* * *

Then, the ships fired near the blue lion in a barrage.

"We've got to get it out of here!"

"No! I'm not leaving my sis! Not now, not ever!"

Then, Jenny took over and thrusted the bars to evade the bullets as she focused on the main deck, scaring Lance as she aggressively took his place. Pidge was getting worried about her recklessness.

"Be careful, Jenny! This isn't a simulator!

"Good! That means I _will_ save my sis!"

Then, in a fit of rage, Jenny thrusted one bar down, causing it to activate its energy cannon and caused great damage to it as it left an explosion. Then, Jenny controlled the lion to scrape the ship by its side to disable the cannons. Then, Jenny made a break for the deck again, growing more determined by the second. Lance was beginning to get concerned for her as she spiraled down to madness.

"Jenny, you have to stop this! You're not the only one in this thing!"

"So what?! I'm not gonna let that stop me from getting Belle back!"

Lance began to clutch onto Jenny's shoulder roughly as he tried to snap her out of it.

"Listen to me! Even if you're right about your sister being in there, odds are, we'll never be able to save her if we end up destroyed!"

Jenny stopped for a moment and closed her eyes. Even in this circumstance, she didn't want to think about a moment more without her sister. But if he's right, the retreat is the best option. Then, she thrusted the bars forward, jerking the lion toward the deck, much to the panic of her present crew. As it drew closer to the deck, Kaecilius prepared a dark purple and black light from his hand, only for Jenny to thrust the bars upward, causing it to fly just above the ship, catching Kaecilius by surprise.

"Psyche!"

"What?"

Then, the lion flew over the whole Galra warship, away from Earth. As the lion ran away from the warship, Hazar only smirked.

"Do you really think you can escape me?"

Then, the whole ship turned around and speeded after the Blue Lion, much to Hunk and Pidge's horror.

"Oh, no!"

"They're gaining on us!"

Lance and Jenny, however, saw the good part of the current events.

"It's weird. They're not trying to shoot us. They're just chasing."

"Good. That means they'll leave Earth alone."

"Okay, seriously, now we think having aliens follow us is good? I am not on board with this new direction, guys."

As they traveled, Keith noticed they were far away from home.

"Where are we?"

From looking out, Jenny knew where they were.

"Kerberos... that means we're at the edge of our solar system."

"It takes months for our ships to get out this far. We got out here in five seconds."

Suddenly, a portal opened up in front of them.

"What the huh?"

"What is that?"

Lance knew only what he was told.

"Uh, this may seem crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there."

"Where does it go?"

Jenny then began to remember what it told Lance as she widened her eyes, also remembering how slim the opportunity to see Belle again would be.

"Home... but, my sis. I... I don't know what to do."

Shiro placed his hand on Jenny's shoulder to get her attention.

"Whatever's happening, the lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now. We should decide together."

Then, everyone looked to Jenny for her decision. That made it clear that she's not the only person here, and that her goal wasn't wise at the moment. As Jenny held onto the bars, she hung her head down as she tried to hold back her tears, catching Lance's attention.

"I'm so sorry, sis. Please wait for me, okay?"

Then, she nodded to Lance before he thrusted the lion towards the portal, entering it just in time before it disappeared, much to Hazar's disappointment.

"Curses. No matter. I know very well where they're going. They can go as far as they like, it won't matter."

Then, Kaecilius turned to Kren, who exhibited a confused look on her face.

"Whatever's the matter with you?"

"Sorry, master. I... I thought I saw someone familiar... But I don't know who quite yet."

"Hmm. I believe it best not to dwell on it. The important thing is that soon, Voltron will be ours."

* * *

Moments later, the blue lion appeared out of nowhere near a planet similar to Earth. When the crew looked, they were surprised.

"Whoa. That was..."

"The hardest decision I've ever had to do."

Lance could tell her decision is breaking her heart apart, so he tried to fix it, even if he had to cut himself to do it.

"Listen, Jenny. I'm sorry you had to let go of your sis."

Hunk was feeling sick, but for once, he had to put it aside for Jenny's sake.

"Yeah. We all are."

Jenny smiled sadly at Hunk.

"Wow. I'm surprised, Hunk. Usually at this point, you'd puke your guts out."

"Oh, not this time. Oh, wait-"

Suddenly, Hunk's sick feeling returned. Thankfully, Jenny was prepared for that as she got out a paper bag and handed it to Hunk, who then looked back to her while Pidge gave a look of disgust.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault."

"I'm just surprised it took this long."

Sandra then looked to Shiro before she spoke to him and he replied.

"Okay, any idea where we are?"

"I don't recognize any of these constellations. We must be a long, long way from Earth."

Then, Lance felt the blue lion again as he spoke.

"The lion seems to want to go to this planet. I think... I think it's going home."

Jenny smiled as she gazed at the surface and compared it to that of her drawing on the journal about this particular planet.

"I think we both are."

* * *

 **Part 2**

* * *

As the blue lion entered the orbit, it began heating up faster than a hot dog would be microwaved. Inside, Jenny and Lance were being squished by Pidge, Shiro, Hunk, and Sandra.

"Uh, guys, can you not squash us please?"

"Hunk, your breath is killing me."

"Uh, is it just me, or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a mysterious wormhole?"

Sandra considered the fact that Jenny was forced to make a decision to abandon her sister and everyone else, primarily Hunk, wanted to get out of there.

"I think it might've been both."

"Why are we listening to a robotic alien anyway?"

Jenny was about to retaliate, but Lance beat her to it.

"It got us away from that alien warship, didn't it?"

"I don't know if you noticed, but we're in an alien warship."

"Yeah. The good kind."

Shiro was beginning to have had enough of their arguments.

"All right, knock it off. No one's happy about this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we've got to do it together."

Jenny was all for the idea.

"Nothing wrong with that."

"So, what do we do?"

"First, we find out where we're headed. Jenny?"

With that, Jenny flipped back to her journal and stopped at a castle.

"Well, if Grandpop's right, it should be taking us to the castle."

Just then, Lance piped up.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Shh! Listen. I think I hear something."

Suddenly, they heard a strange high-pitched noise.

"I'm hearing it, too."

"It's, uh, its kind of a, eh, a high-pitched squeal?"

However, as the sound grew louder, Sandra and Jenny knew what it was.

"Wait."

"Lance McClain, did you just go silent but deadly on us?"

Then, everyone in the ship covered their noses in disgust.

"Come on, Lance!"

"But seriously, there's a castle up ahead."

That made Sandra furious.

"Why, you!"

Sandra swiftly thwacked Lance in the face with a backhand, much to Jenny's relief.

"Phew. Thanks, Sandy. I admit, he kinda deserved that."

When the crew saw the castle, they were amazed.

"Wow."

"It's just like grandpop drew it."

Then, the lion glared it's yellow eyes, causing the castle's spires to glow blue as it landed near the door. Shiro felt caution was necessary.

"Keep your guard up."

"Something wrong?"

"My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let it happen again."

Then, all eight of them walked out of the lion and looked around before it lifted its jaw and stood up, catching everyone by surprise, Hunk most of all.

"No! I knew it was going to eat us! No!"

However, the lion simply roared at the castle, causing it to glow blue as Hunk whimpered.

However, the door was simply opening in the process, making Hunk all the more embarrassed.

"Oh, the door is open. Guess I was wrong about you."

Jenny just giggled at Hunk's temporary panic and walked in as she got a flashlight from her pack and used it to look at the journal for a certain page.

"Okay. Where's the passcode?"

"Passcode? What do you think this is, some alien ship?"

"Uh, yeah. Grandpop said so."

"Oh. Right. Carry on."

As she looked for the passcode, Hunk felt the need to check the perimeter.

"Hello?"

That caught everyone's attention for a moment before he shrugged.

"From the size of the lion. I expected these steps to be bigger."

At that moment, Jenny found the passcode she was looking for.

"I got it. Stardust!"

As the word echoed across the castle, it activated above them and shone a blue light on top of them before it spoke.

"Hold for identity scan."

As it scanned them, Shiro asked the castle.

"Why are we here? What do you want with us?"

The castle only responded back in results of the identity scan.

"Altean presence confirmed. Verifying now."

"Verifying?"

Suddenly, the castle fired a blue light at Jenny, who stood confused as the light seeped into her. A moment after, her eyes began to glow blue as she began to grow pointy ears and a sky blue mark under each of her eyes. When it was done, Jenny had changed into a different being entirely. She then looked toward the crew in confusion.

"Uh, can somebody tell me what just happened? I don't have a clue."

Sandra got out her phone and held it to her face.

"You might be surprised."

Indeed she was. Jenny felt the ears on her head and saw the marks under her eyes.

"Uh, rude. I didn't ask you to turn me into an elf, castle!"

However, Lance saw the bright side of it.

"Actually, I think you look kinda cute."

That earned an intense blush from Jenny.

"Uh, thanks, I guess."

However, the castle got to the bad part next, concerning Lapis.

"Galra presence detected. Commencing termination."

Then, the red laser began to target Lapis before Jenny spoke up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cool your jets! Lapis is with us."

Then, the castle removed the laser and spoke to her.

"Termination cancelled. Access granted."

Then, Jenny got to business.

"Okay. Can you take us to someone named Allura?"

Then, the castle's lights began to turn on, pointing the way.

"I guess we're going that way."

As they walked toward the path, Hunk called out to see if Allura was nearby.

"Hello? Hello?"

Finally, after a good few minutes, the crew found a room with a control modulator at the center of the circle that also contained eight panels. Lance got curious as to what room it was before Pidge answered.

"Where are we?"

"It's some kind of control room."

Then, the modulator activated, summoning three pods to appear, catching their attention.

"Are these guys... dead?"

Jenny shook her head.

"No. they're just in hypersleep."

Then, Jenny placed her hands on the modulator to activate one pod.

"Okay, that's how that works."

As it switched off, it was revealed to be a brown-skinned Altean with flowing white hair in royal attire and pink marks under her eyes. Jenny automatically knew who she was.

"Allura."

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and gasped as she reached her hand out.

"Father!"

Jenny saw this and ran toward her to catch her.

"Whoa! Careful."

Allura moaned as she tried to wake herself up and looked to see Jenny.

"Are you okay, princess?"

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm Jennifer Shaybon. My friends call me Jenny, though. As for where we are, I honestly don't know."

Then, Allura took notice of her ears.

"Your ears."

"What?"

"They're just like mine."

Then, she began to widen her eyes with hope.

"Are you Altean?"

"I guess. My grandpop told me a lot of stories about you. Well, passed down from a lot of centuries, anyway."

"Centuries?"

Then, as she nodded, she felt it necessary to introduce her friends.

"Allow me to introduce my friends. The one in the mullet is Keith. The other one is his sister, Sandra."

Then, Jenny ran over to Pidge and gave him a noogie before pointing at Hunk.

"This awesome guy is Pidge. The big one is Hunk, and..."

Just then, Lance cut her off as she tried to introduce him.

"I'm Lance."

Then, he smiled with a shine on his teeth.

"Yeah, the flirty guy is also my boyfriend."

Hearing this, Lance's heart skipped two beats.

"I am?!"

As Jenny giggled, she also remembered one more person here.

"Oh. And I'd like to introduce you to our new friend, Lapis."

Lapis felt nervous around her and only held her head down. Allura stared at Lapis with a death glare.

"What is _that_ doing here?"

Jenny noticed this contempt look and tried to ease her out.

"Whoa, Your Highness. Take it easy. She may be a Galra, but this one's with us."

Allura only snapped at what she thought to be Jenny's poor judgment.

"Impossible! All Galra are enemies!"

However, that made it Jenny's turn to snap back in defense of Lapis, much to her surprise.

"Yeah?! And how would you know?! You didn't even get to know her! She never asked to be born that way!"

Allura stared at her in shock and wonder, causing Jenny to panic and bow respectively.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Your Highness. I just feel very strongly about it."

Just then, another voice spoke up.

"Spoken like a true Altean."

Then, Jenny turned to see another Altean with tan skin, a blue suit and white hair along with blue marks under his eyes.

"Whoa. Who are you?"

"You can call me Babak. Soldier, prophet, peacemaker. And above all, the bodyguard of Princess Allura."

Jenny then shook his hand and greeted him.

"I'm Jenny. Nice to meet you."

Then, Babak turned to Allura.

"You can rest easy, Allura. If this Galra was here, then our friend, Jenny, saw a reason for it to be so."

"Of course. It's because we're friends."

Then, Babak turned to Lapis inquisitively.

"Tell me something. Do all Galra share Zarkon's outlook?"

"Some of us do. But not all."

Babak just hung his head down.

"I see."

Then, he strolled over to the modulator.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find out how long we've been asleep."

Babak placed his hands on the modulator as another pod opened up, revealing to be another Altean with orange hair and an orange mustache, with blue marks under his eyes and a similar blue suit as Babak. He gasped and screamed upon noticing Lapis.

"Enemy combatants!"

He instantly leaped at Lapis, who instantly leaped out of the way in self defense, causing the Altean to crash into another pod.

"Quiznak! You're lucky I have a case of the old 'sleep chamber knees.' Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this, wrap you up like so-"

Then, the Altean demonstrated a headlock before lifting his fingers up and snapping afterwards.

"One, two, three, sleepy time!"

Lance decided to join in on what could've been.

"Well, before you did that, I'd-"

Then, Lance lifted his arm and did a chop before doing a crane pose and doing the kick.

"Hoo! Ha! Cha! Like that."

"Oh, really? Well, how could you do that when I've already come at you with this?"

Then, the Altean squatted as he got his hand in a crab position and moved it back and forth four times as he moved forward.

"Ha, ha, ha, hey!"

Babak was starting to get sick of it.

"Give it a rest, Coran, before you break something... again."

Then, Babak noticed the date on it and grew petrified as he gasped.

"By the ancients..."

"What is it?"

"We've been asleep for 10,000 years."

That caught Allura's attention.

"10,000 years?!"

Jenny was just as shocked.

"You've been asleep for that long?"

Lance tried to do the math if that before Keith corrected him.

"Man, 10,000 years? That's like one thousand plus ten."

"That's times ten."

"Whatever, dropout."

Babak explained their story of their last day on Altea.

"Yes. To us, it was only yesterday when Kaecilius bombarded our castle with Zarkon."

Hearing his name, Shiro had a bit of a flashback of his face.

"Zarkon?"

"Yes. He was the King of the Galra and was once our noble comrade who fought alongside Alfor, Allura's father, until the day he showed his true colors."

* * *

 _10,000 years ago, Babak, Allura, Coran, and Alfor witnessed the destruction of Altea as Zarkon and Kaecilius' faces appeared on the transmission. Babak and Alfor were not pleased to see them after what they've done._

 _"Kaecilius."_

 _"Zarkon."_

 _"Thank you for demonstrating why Alteans, who possess not a shred of decency among them and would dare defile the world of gods, are of all mortals especially ill-suited to live in my world."_

 _Babak snapped back at Kaecilius._

 _"You're as vile as you are ludicrous, Kaecilius! You think this is your world now?!"_

 _"It's certainly not yours anymore, old friend."_

 _"Your fleet has been destroyed, Alfor. I will be there shortly to claim Voltron."_

 _Then, the ship fired at the castle, making it malfunction. Allura turned to Alfor._

 _"Father, we must form Voltron and fight before it's too late!"_

 _"It's already too late. We must send the lions away."_

 _Babak didn't think it wise._

 _"What good would that do, Alfor?! Zarkon is practically at our doorstep!"_

 _"We can't risk them falling into Zarkon's hands."_

 _"We can't give up hope!"_

 _"I'm sorry, daughter. If all goes well, I will see you again soon."_

 _Then, Alfor placed his finger on her cheek before casting a spell to make her fall asleep._

 _"Father..."_

 _"I love you."_

 _As she passed out on his arms, Babak walked up to him._

 _"Please, take her to the sleep chamber and make sure she's safe."_

 _"You're not planning on coming back alive, are you?"_

 _As an answer, Alfor only sighed before replying._

 _"I can only do my best."_

 _Then, Alfor walked out of the temple as he drew his sword._

* * *

"Alfor made a final stand against Zarkon, but it was in vain. He was killed off in the battle, trying to protect Allura. However, we weren't able to save Altea or any other planet in our solar system. And just like that, Alfor, no, our entire civilization, were lost to the ashes of time."

Shiro then remembered who it was that captured him and his team in the first place.

"I remember now... I was his prisoner."

Allura and Babak grew shocked at this revelation.

"He's still alive?"

"Impossible! Unless... the Dark Quintessence."

"What?"

"Quintessence as vile as that is the only explanation for how he's lived this long. It's also what corrupted and twisted his mind."

"What is Quintessence?"

"The source of life and power itself. Such a source that should never have been discovered."

Then, Shiro gave out more details.

"There's more. He's also searching for a super weapon called Voltron."

"Voltron is not merely a super weapon, so much as a last resort capable of extreme power when utilized properly."

Sandra felt they knew that after their experience with the Blue Lion.

"We know that much. But why does he want it so badly?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him."

"And that's exactly why we need to find it before he does."

* * *

Far away at space, Kren was being filled with a purple glowing substance known as Dark Quintessence as Kaecilius watched. Once it was fully injected, she opened her eyes as they and the markings beneath her eyes glowed purple. At the same time, she and Kaecilius found themselves subject to a vision of Voltron being forged on Arus and a powerful Altean who had so much power as with a simple flick of her wrist, the fleet ended up being destroyed. Seeing this brought troublesome news as it also reached Haggar as she was meditating on her sacred chamber. Not long after, Kaecilius, Haggar, and Kren arrived to see Emperor Zarkon. Kaecilius delivered one piece of news while Haggar presented the rest.

"The Blue Lion has returned. Soon, all of the lions will gather in one place."

"And now I feel a resurgence of Altean energy. Two sources to be precise."

This made Zarkon raise his eyebrows.

"Alfor's daughter lives?"

"She's not the only one. One of them is especially foreign to Altea. Almost with... an entirely new quality. Perhaps a survivor had fled to another solar system all those years ago. Most likely, a half-breed."

Kren grew surprised to hear this.

"How can that be?"

"I know not. But it is time to reclaim what is rightfully ours."

Kaecilius made the good news even more sweeter with an additional one.

"And thanks in part to Projects Kuron and Kren, we know exactly where to look."

"Yes. I shall wipe that foul race from the universe and take back Voltron."

Kren grew curious about their need of Voltron.

"With respect, why do we seek such a being when we're so close to achieving total dominion?"

Kaecilius knew what they needed him for and glared at Kren for questioning it.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what is needed to harvest a vast number of Quintessence?"

Kren took a deep breath before answering.

"No. I have not."

Then, Zarkon spoke to them.

"Contact my commanders."

* * *

At another warship, a Galra soldier with red armor, a red robotic eye, and a large metallic arm for his left side that has recently been powered up was prepared a transmission.

"Emperor Zarkon requests an audience."

Then, the transmission showed Zarkon to face him.

"Commander Sendak, the Princess of Altea is alive and hiding in your sector. What's more, her friend seems to have more power than she even cares to know. We believe they alone hold the whereabouts of the remaining lions. Your battle fleet is the closest to their location. Retrieve them and the lions. With them all, the Galra Empire will be unstoppable."

"I fight for the empire. I conquer in the name of Galra. No foe has ever stood in my way. And none ever will."

"I have no doubts about that. Which is why Kaecilius and his team shall accompany your endeavor to Arus. One member, in particular, will need... persuasion if she should refuse to acknowledge your command."

"Vrepit Sa!"

Then, the transmission ended as Sendak turned to his second-in-command.

"Set a course for Arus."

* * *

Back on Arus, Allura was using the modulator, much to Babak's displeasure as he tried to feed Allura a sort of green goop.

"Princess, you must eat. It's been 10,000 years."

"I'm not hungry."

Hunk, however, begged to differ.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving."

Pidge reminded him of his gastrointestinal issues.

"Yeah, but you've thrown up, like, five times."

"Hmm, good point."

As Hunk ate the green goop, Shiro was amazed.

"I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago. It must've been an incredible place."

"Yes, it was... but now it is gone. And we're the last Alteans alive, including Jennifer, apparently."

"Whoa. An Altean... is that what I really am? A part of a race that could've been extinct?"

"Shocking, I'm sure."

"Uh, yeah. That means everything grandpop told me, about our ancestor, they were... all true. Heh. And here I thought they were only cool stories."

Then, Jenny turned to see the saddened Allura and smiled.

"Hey, don't feel bad. You know what? Out of all the characters grandpop told me in your stories... you're my favorite."

Then, Jenny walked up to Allura and held her arms out before the princess threw herself into her arms, sobbing lightly on the foreign Altean before they heard a squeak.

"Huh? Did anyone else hear squeaking?"

Jenny and Allura looked to the pod to see four mice. When Allura saw them, she smiled.

"Looks like we're not the last, after all."

"Those cute little guys are Alteans, too?"

The mice squeaked as they saw Allura and Jenny. Suddenly, they heard an alarm go off and the modulator turned red.

"What's going on?"

Babak took a look at the monitor and saw a Galra warship.

"A Galra battleship got its sights on us!"

As Pidge and Jenny grew worried, Sandra had a theory as to where it came from.

"How did they find us?"

"I thought we lost it on Earth?"

"This must be a different one."

All the while, Lapis began to feel responsible before Babak cut her off.

"Guys, what if it's tracking me?"

"That is a possibility, but we can resolve this issue later."

Lance, however, knew who was the one to blame.

"I don't know. But I bet it's Keith's fault."

Hearing this, Jenny tried to talk Lance out of it.

"Lance, I wouldn't..."

"Say whatever you've got to say to make yourself feel better... after getting us stuck on the other side of the wormhole!"

Sandra tried to do the same for Keith.

"Keith, Lance was just..."

"I'll stick you in the wormhole!"

Then, Jenny and Sandra pinched Lance and Sandra's ears as they yelled out in unison.

"Pipe it down, will ya?!"

"This isn't the time or the place to play the blame game right now."

"You're going to work as a team, and you're going to like it, got that?"

Lance and Keith reluctantly agreed to it.

"Fine."

"How long before they arrive?"

"At their usual speed, it's a matter of two days before they appear in orbit."

Jenny felt all the more sure about this situation.

"You know what? Good. I say we let them come. Because something tells me we'll have reformed Voltron by then. More than that, my sis is trapped there for who knows how long. I'll do anything to get her back. And if Voltron is what it takes, I'm in."

Allura smiled at Jenny's spirit.

"My feelings exactly."

"Except there are five of these lions. How are we going to find the rest?"

"Not quite. There are seven lions."

That caught Lapis's attention as her ears pricked up. "What? Seven lions?"

"I'll explain once all the lions are determined."

* * *

At the main hanger, Allura stepped into the center of the podium where Alfor once stood and placed her hands on the panel as a blue light shone down on her.

"In case an event like this took place, King Alfor connected the lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the lions' whereabouts."

Suddenly, Allura's eyes opened as an entire star map opened up around them.

"Whoa!"

Jenny was reminded of something that was just like this.

"This is like virtual reality or somethin'!"

Pidge knew what exactly they were.

"These are coordinates."

Then, he saw the Black Lion on Arus alongside the Blue Lion.

"The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion."

Babak knew he was right.

"Right you are, my boy. In order to safeguard Voltron from being used, Alfor hid the Black Lion in the castle itself. Its door can only be opened if the other lions are present and accounted for."

With that, Allura spoke to the Paladins about their lions before Lance cut her off along the way.

"As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The Quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in their lion. Together, they can form something greater than science can explain. The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion. The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion. The Blue Lion-"

"Hold up, let me guess. Takes the most handsome slash best pilot of the bunch?"

Jenny only elbowed him in the arm as a response.

"Dude, let the lady finish, please."

Allura giggled at Jenny's behavior toward Lance.

"As I was saying, it takes someone who determines the situation and cares about the welfare of his team. Honestly, I'm surprised, Lance, you will pilot the Blue Lion. The Yellow Lion is just as caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together. The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the Red Lion."

Lance wasn't quite happy with that before Jenny reminded him.

"What? This guy?"

"Well, you do have the Blue Lion."

"Fair point."

"Unfortunately, I cannot locate the Red Lion's coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the castle. After 10,000 years, it might need some work."

Coran pitched in for repairs.

"Don't worry. We'll find it soon. They don't call me 'The Coranic' for nothing."

Jenny grew confused at that term.

"Huh?"

"It's because it sounds like 'mechanic.' So... Coranic, mechanic. It's not- It doesn't sound... exactly like it. It's similar."

Babak facepalmed himself in the face before he spoke.

"I think we got the message, Coran."

Then, he noticed an odd signature and scrolled over to it, revealing a purple lion with light pink eyes.

"Only the five lions are needed for Voltron. As to why there's a sixth, the Violet Lion, it's a mystery entirely to us as well. Or at least to me. What I can tell you is that it can function like the other lions, but unlike them, it can become a Voltron of its own league. In fact, it'd be known as the second Voltron."

Lapis looked in awe at the lion.

"Wow."

"The sad reality is that its location is just as unknown as the Red Lion's, so we could expect certain difficulty. Same goes for the White Lion. Last we saw of it was on Altea. We don't know at the moment whether or not it survived, but... I pray that it is so."

Just then, the Red Lion roared before it took to the sky, as did the other four. As for the Violet Lion, it flew up into the sky adjacent to the other lions. Then, the five lions merged together as the Violet Lion opened up its back to reveal wings and turned its claws into hands and feet. Then, the Violet Lion opened up its mouth to reveal a beautiful face with grey skin and pink eyes. On the chest of the Violet Lion was the symbol of the Galra that glowed pink as well. Then, the Violet Lion stood by Voltron as it got into a stance with its hands on its side.

"Once all the lions are united, even the sixth, you will form both Voltrons, the most powerful warriors ever known, the Defenders of the Universe."

Then, the simulation faded away into a clear day on Arus. Lance and Jenny grew excited.

"Awesome!"

Hunk checked over everything to be up to date on how it'd work before Babak answered him.

"Wait. Okay, we're going to be in there and flying lions. Got that part. How do lions turn into legs? Also, is this gonna be a long trip? Because I have to pee. Do you people pee?"

"They turn into legs by forging Voltron. With any luck, it won't be a long trip. And yes, of course, we, as you say, 'pee.' We're not neanderthals."

At this point, Shiro and Allura had already laid the groundwork on how to go about it.

"Well, we don't have much time. Pidge, Sandra, and I will go after the Green Lion. Lance, you take Jenny and Hunk and get the yellow one. Keith, you and Lapis stay here. If you locate the Red and Violet Lions, go get them."

"In the meantime, Babak and I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed."

Sandra grew confused at the matter of transportation to the location of the Green Lion before Babak quickly resolved it.

"Okay, but how are we supposed to get to the Green Lion?"

"I'll ready a pod and I'll load the coordinates so that you can reach the Green Lion."

"Oh. Okay, then."

* * *

Moments later, the lion and pod took off from Arus and into outer space while back at the castle, Allura placed her hands in the two podiums preparing two wormholes, one for each, as Babak and Coran gave them instructions.

"We can only keep the wormholes that lead to the other lions open for two of your Earth hours, at most. So, I suggest you be quick about it."

"The good news is that according to my readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives."

"Which won't do any of us any good if Voltron isn't forged. Now then, enjoy your trip."

That caused Lance and Hunk to panic while Jenny bore a determined look on her face.

"Wait, what? No!"

"I did not receive the memo on this."

Back at the castle, Babak, Lapis, and Keith witnessed the lion and the pod going into the wormholes before they disappeared. As Allura maintained her position with her eyes closed, Babak turned to Lapis and Keith.

"I imagine this might be boring for you to wait, so before I do anything else, I'll show you where you'll be until you're needed."

* * *

With that, Babak showed Keith and Lapis a training room with one lone drone with a sword. Lapis was wondering what kind of room it was.

"What is this?"

"This is your training room. The A.I. has been set to the lowest difficulty. If you want to go higher, shout out a number."

Keith thought it'd be too good to be true.

"Really? Like what?"

"You'll see. Start training level twelve!"

Then, the drone immediately began charging towards Babak, who caught the drone's arm and flipped it over him before removing his sword and plunging it into it, causing it to disappear, much to Lapis and Keith's surprise.

"Hoo-ah."

Then, Babak removed the sword from where it was planted before giving an order.

"End training sequence."

Then, it produced another drone to use from the ceiling. As Keith and Lapis looked to Babak, he smirked at them as he walked out.

"Have fun."

Then, Keith and Lapis looked at each other as they blinked.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Sendak's ship, Kaecilius and Kren walked toward Sendak.

"Commander Sendak. How close until we arrive on Arus?"

"The best estimate is but a few short vargas."

"Excellent. Before long, Voltron will be ours..."

Then, Sendak's second-in-command spoke to Kaecilius.

"Pardon me, Kaecilius, but where is the rest of your team?"

"Where they should be, Haxxus. In preparation for the Blue Lion whilst seeking the Yellow Lion in the mines. We already have the Red Lion in our grasp. And the so-called Violet Lion has fared no better. The more lions we secure, the better our chances."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro, Pidge, and Sandra were on a lush planet of mostly green land and a small fraction of it had water at all. As they walked through the rainforest, they found a canoe with a lion carved on it. Suddenly, they noticed a large sloth-like creature next to them. While Shiro and Pidge I totally got startled, Sandra smiled at it.

"Relax, you guys. It's just a... giant sloth, I guess?"

Then, the giant sloth walked toward the canoe and turned to the three travelers before he urged them to come with him. Pidge figures it out before Shiro agreed to it.

"I, uh... I think he wants us to get in his canoe."

"Then I guess we should go."

"Huh."

Sandra was surprised at how willingly Shiro went along with it.

"And what makes you so sure it's the best idea?"

"I've been locked up by aliens for a year. This is nothing."

Later on, Shiro, Sandra, and Pidge were in the canoe, taking in the wonders of this planet as they enter the cave, which exhibited drawings that are just as majestic.

"I wonder if Hunk, Jenny, and Lance are having as good a time as us."

Sandra had doubts about that.

"Well, with Lance at the helm, the odds of that are basically a million to one. Plus, Hunk would puke his guts out, again. Still, other than that, nothing out of the ordinary, I'm sure."

* * *

Back at the Blue Lion, they appeared just above the planet's surface and found the Galra mining it, with its commander sporting a black uniform with spiked shoulder pads pointing upwards turning to his lieutenant that sported a similar outfit, but with a smaller frame than his bulky officer.

"Zarix, report."

"We're on course to successfully dig up the Yellow Lion, Commander Vaxel."

"Excellent. Emperor Zarkon will be most pleased."

Just then, they heard an alarm and saw the Blue Lion in the air. Vaxel smiled as he gave an order.

"Secure the Blue Lion with swift and merciless prejudice."

Then, all at once, the Galra ships began attacking Lance, Jenny, and Hunk, causing them to panic as they sustain damage.

"Oh, no! No, no, no! Oh! Oh, no!"

As the Galra ships followed them, one of them was being piloted by Varek while the other was piloted by Zarix, who received a transmission from Vaxel.

"Do not forget. The Yellow and Blue Lions must be seized by any means necessary."

"You don't need to tell me."

Varek and Zarix fired their missiles at the Blue Lion, eventually hitting it after a number of dodges. As they plummeted, Hunk was getting curious on what went wrong.

"I thought Coran said these planets were peaceful!"

Lance knew there had to be some sort of mistake.

"Maybe 'peaceful' means something else in Altean!"

"Nope! They mean the same thing as on Earth! They must not have seen the Galra here!"

Then, Jenny pulled the bars back, causing the Blue Lion to recover and dart toward the mine. Inside, Hunk recovered from the attack as he stood up and looked at the digital GPS as Jenny wondered if it popped up yet.

"Where is it?"

"According to the coordinates, we're right on top of the Yellow Lion. It's below there, where they're mining for the ore. They don't even know the Lion is there. Or maybe they just got here and they're digging for it? What do you think, guys?"

"If you're right, you need to go get it and fast! We'll be dropped down there."

Hearing this, Hunk panicked.

"Me? Down there? No. No, no, no."

"Don't worry. I'll cover you. Lance, can you take over for a sec?"

Then, Jenny and Lance switched their positions as soon as she set it towards the cave.

"What if the Yellow Lion doesn't work? W-What if I- What if I can't get in the mine? What if I start crying? It's too late. I'm already crying!"

Jenny turned to Hunk and helped him relax as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Stop rambling, okay? Just don't focus on what could go wrong and you'll be fine. My sis always told me that."

Then, Jenny nodded to Lance before he pushed the button to eject Jenny and Hunk. Seeing this, Jenny set her arms along her legs before she and Hunk ended up ejected from the Blue Lion, which spat them out, causing them to roll to the mine. When they got there, Jenny was able to jump in time to land next to the mine while Hunk tripped over a rock and fell on his stomach.

* * *

Unfortunately, Zarix noticed them being spat out of the Blue Lion and contacted Vaxel.

"Commander Vaxel, intruders have been detected in the mines."

"The Paladins?"

"Indeed. The Altean is with the chunky monkey. The Blue Lion is guarding them."

As he stated this, the Blue Lion acted as a shield for Jenny and Hunk.

"I need more time to prepare an appropriate reception for this Altean. Ready the ship for departure."

"But, commander, the Yellow Lion- the Altean will seize it!"

"Then blow the mines."

* * *

Just outside the entrance, Hunk opened the control panel to see a bunch of wires. He complained as he rerouted them.

"Yeah, sure, just drop us off in an alien planet. That's cool, man. It's only occupied by mean Galra that want to kill us, but whatever. Just ignore them and go connect with a big, yellow, mechanical cat. Easy-peasy. Yeah. That all makes a ton of sense to me."

"You know this isn't the time to complain!"

Then, the machine started itself and went downward, just barely evading the lasers. As they traveled down, they saw yellow markings in the mine, astounding them as Jenny spoke up first.

"Cool."

"It's just like back on Earth."

When they got down, they saw a tunnel that led to another cave just as they felt a shockwave from above.

"Whoa. It must be pretty bad out there."

"Okay, I'm in a giant hole. Now what, Jenny?"

Just as they started to walk towards the entryway, they saw another glowing lion, preceded by another and led to a glowing yellow circle.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Not exactly. How are we going to get through that?"

Jenny looked to see a driller in place.

"I think we might have to start digging."

* * *

Outside, Lance fought against Zarix, Vaxel, and Varek in the Galra ships, trying to keep Jenny and Hunk safe. Just as they headed toward Lance, Vaxel sent a voice transmission.

"What's wrong, Paladin? Bite off more than you can chew?"

Lance only growled at Vaxel as he charged the lion toward them.

* * *

Back in the cave, Jenny and Hunk broke through the hole and saw the Yellow Lion in a shield. They gasped in awe as they saw its gaze.

* * *

Back outside, Lance flew above the trio and then came down towards Varek, who immediately ejected himself before the Blue Lion could chow down on his ship. However, Varek began to charge up light energy around him as he cackled, worrying Lance about what he could do.

"Oh, no!"

Lance turned the lion around to the mines where Varek stopped just above it and began clasping his hands together and slowly lifted them as he produced a red and purple flamed energy from them as he bellowed in increasing volume.

"Hunk! Jenny!"

Then, with a yell, Varek fired it at the mines, causing it to destroy the mine's entrance and consume it in a purple fire, much to Lance's horror. Immediately, he tried using the transmitter to check on Jenny.

"Jenny. Hunk. Please, if you're out there, talk to me."

However, he only received Vaxel's cold laughter in response.

"You should have fled like your previous predecessors. Now, the time of the Paladins is over."

Lance only growled before he angrily snapped.

"You monsters... you're going to pay!"

Then, he yelled out as he thrusted the bars toward Vaxel's ship while the Blue Lion roared, only to be stopped by Varek's dark fiery blast, the owner of which who smirked as the lion fell.

* * *

At the castle training grounds, Keith was practicing against the drone at level two with Lapis watching him. After Keith defeated the drone by plunging his sword inside it, it disappeared before he called out to it.

"End training sequence!"

That allowed Keith to get a bit of a break as he planted his hands on his knees. Lapis was about to congratulate him when she saw the blade he carried.

"What is this?"

"Uh, a sword?"

"Yeah, but where did you get it?"

"Someone gave it to me."

"Your mother or your father?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I have one of my own."

Then, Lapis took her blade from her belt and showed it to have the same appearance as Keith's with a bizarre symbol on it. That caught Keith's surprise.

"You have that, too?"

"Mm-hmm. My father forged it himself before he gave it to me. He was standing against Zarkon trying to protect me. After that... I haven't seen him."

Keith began to feel bad for shutting her out.

"Lapis, I'm so sorry."

"Oh. Don't worry about it. It's fine."

Keith only took Lapis's hand with his.

"No, it isn't. I've been shutting people out, lately. I was just trying to protect them."

As they gazed into each other's eyes, Lapis wrapped her other hand around his.

"I know the feeling. I've been doing that lately, too. Ever since I've been captured, I wanted to just mind my own business. Then, I met Shiro. We made a plan to try to rescue Belle. But... we only ended up losing her after that. I knew it was a dead-ringing reminder that anyone I try to help will suffer, whether I like it or not."

"Well, you won't have to worry about me. I'm not the type who asks for help."

Lapis giggled at Keith's suggestion before they heard Babak clear his throat with wide eyes, causing Keith and Lapis to turn to him as they blushed.

"Well, I, uh... certainly don't want to interrupt... whatever that was. But we've completed repairs. Allura's bound to track the Red and Violet Lions anytime now."

As Babak walked out, Keith and Lapis looked toward each other.

* * *

Back at the rainforest, Pidge was getting way too concerned with what could go wrong.

"I know the princess said this is supposed to be my lion, but what if she's wrong? I mean, she's probably not wrong, she's a princess. But I'm not a pilot, even though I've always wanted to be a pilot. I mean, I read all the fighter manuals, but I never got to fly the simulator, but hey. I can't get all that worse than Lance. If it wasn't for Jenny, he'd have crashed all the time. But what if I get in there and it doesn't respond? What if I get in there and it's too big and my feet don't touch the pedals? What if there aren't even pedals?!"

"You're rambling. Listen, our commander in the Kerberos Mission is the smartest man I ever met, and he always said, 'if you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.'"

Sandra smiled at Pidge as he widened his eyes.

"That sound familiar?"

"Yeah. My dad always told me the same thing."

Just then, they saw what appeared to be a temple covered in vines. When the canoe reached land, Sandra, Shiro, and Pidge jumped off and waved to him goodbye. Suddenly, the stone began to glow green as it pointed the way to the temple. The trio walked up as it flowed brighter. Then, Sandra spoke to him.

"Well, are you waiting for an invitation? Go get 'em."

Pidge smiled at Sandra as he ran up the temple and climbed over the vines. When he reached the top, he was exhausted. However, he noticed there was nothing else there. Just then, he heard a growling beneath him before he looked as saw a yellow eye staring into him. He smiled at it before he jumped into it. Then, it began to glow like crazy as he grew excited.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!"

Shiro and Sandra heard the roar far away and ended up wobbling a bit before it rose from the vines. Shiro and Sandra smiled at this.

* * *

Back at the outlands, Lance was having no luck against Varek, who's become a one-man army. Varek fired a barrage of dark fiery blasts at it, causing the lion to plummet down.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Going down! We're going down!"

He tried to recover from the attack in vain as he crashed into the ground and ended up cornered with electricity crackling around it. Just then, Varek spoke aloud.

"Are you finished? Considering you represent the Paladin of Voltron, this is a pathetic showing from you, boy."

Lance looked up to see Varek preparing another fiery blast at him.

"Oh, no."

"Now, die, Paladin!"

Then, Varek fired it at the Blue Lion, only for the Yellow Lion to get in between Lance and the blast. Then, the blast hit the Yellow Lion, only for it to have taken no damage and swat Varek into Zarix's ship, the owner of which who panicked and ejected himself onto higher ground as Jenny and Hunk checked on him.

"You okay, Lance?"

"Hunk! Jenny! I thought you guys were dead! You jumped in front of that fire to save my life!"

"Well, Hunk just wanted to get out of the way."

"Thankfully, what this thing lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in armor. Man, can it take a beating!"

Just then, Zarix began to fly on his own as well as he shot out three Black and purple blasts at the Yellow Lion in frustration.

"You've made a mockery of me for the last time, Paladin!"

As he did, Hunk grew nervous of this as he and Jenny spoke up.

"We've got incoming!"

"Yeah. What else is new?"

Just then, they intercepted Allura's message.

"Paladins, please hurry back. I can't hold the wormhole much longer."

Lance took that as a cue.

"Let's get out of here!"

With that, the lions took off to the wormhole, much to Vaxel's chagrin.

"No!"

Then, he fired a small bullet at the Yellow Lion, causing him to tip over and spin around, making Hunk and Jenny dizzy.

"Not this again."

"Remember, look to the horizon, Hunk! The wormhole is closing!"

Fortunately, they were able to get to the wormholes, much to Zarix's anger.

"Curse those Paladins! They will pay for robbing us of universal conquest!"

However, Vaxel began to snicker as it turned into a cackle before he spoke up.

"They can run, but they can never again run home."

* * *

Back at the castle, Jenny, Hunk, and Lance arrived with sore backs (well, at least Lance and Hunk). Allura smiled at them, knowing they were safe.

"You made it."

Jenny gave out her side of how things went first before Lance and Hunk spoke.

"Yeah, and a lot of good that did us. Really. Like a lot."

"I almost puked out there. I felt like Hunk!"

"Think how I felt. I am Hunk"

"On top of that, I thought I lost them."

He began making a small space between his finger and thumb.

"I was this close to losing Hunk _and_ the person I care about the most. This close!"

Jenny smiled as she blushed.

"Aw. You do care."

Pidge, Sandra, and Shiro turned to each other.

"Yeah. We had a tough time, too."

Then, they smiled at each other before Babak spoke up.

"All right, all right. Allura just located the Red and Violet Lions. We've also discovered good news, great news, bad news, and even worse news. The good news is that the Red Lion is nearby. Even greater news is that the Violet Lion is around as well. The bad news is that they're on board that Galra ship. Even worse, it's just now orbiting Arus."

Lapis and Sandra grew surprised at this while Lance had a theory.

"They're here already?"

"How did they get here so fast?"

"Did they use their powers? Two of them attacked us with them while we were looking for the Yellow Lion."

"Those 'powers' you've witnessed come from their own Quintessence, mass produced by Kaecilius himself. More than that, he and his acolytes can also peer into their own kind's mind."

Hearing this, Lapis grew fearful.

"Oh, no. What have I done?"

Just then, Kaecilius appeared on the transmission.

"Princess Allura, this is Commander Kaecilius of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, including the child known as Lapis, or I will destroy your planet."

As the transmission ended, Shiro tried to calm the crowd, who showed looks of shock and fear.

"All right, let's not panic."

Hunk, However, didn't feel that way as he rambled on before Pidge corrected him.

"Not panic? Kaecilius is driving his battleship toward us. We only have four lions."

"Technically, only three working lions."

"That's right. Thank you, Pidge. Three working lions, and a castle that's, like, 10,000 years old."

This time, it was Babak's turn to correct him.

"By technicality, it'd be 10,600 years old."

"Again. Thank you. See? Now is the perfect time to panic!"

Allura was aware of its defenses that Babak and Coran began repairs on.

"Wait! This castle has a particle barrier we can activate."

Normally, Lance would flirt at this, but having thought Jenny had perished before, he was over that. At least for today.

"Good. At least it'll give Jenny and the others a chance."

Jenny was becoming more enamored with this new Lance.

"Whoa. Looks like someone's keeping a level head. So, what are the odds we'll survive this, Babak?"

"The particle barrier won't hold Kaecilius's magic _or_ his ion cannon at bay forever. Their own Quintessence must've advanced their weapons vastly since we last fought."

"Panic now?"

Babak was getting tired of Hunk's idea.

"Panic is the last thing we need. Panic is what lost us Altea! Here's what we know. The Galra have warships, an army, all their raw Quintessence at their disposal. You think now is the time to be a coward?!"

"Look, I say we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day. I was a wreck when I thought Jenny died. I'm not going through that mess again."

"I second that. Yes. We tried to find all the lions, right? We gave it the old college try. Couldn't do it. We only have three. We can't form Voltron. I guess we could form a snake. Or a worm! To go through that hole, Lance, that you were talking about."

"Then it's settled."

When Lance took her hand and walked toward Allura, Jenny stopped him from moving, causing him to look back at her.

"Jenny, what are you-?"

"I know you care about me. But... I don't want to live in a world where innocent people die because we did nothing. I was willing to change my plans when I had to leave my sis, but not this time. This time, I'm putting my foot down."

Pidge was in agreement with her as he spoke.

"Jenny's right. We can't just abandon Arus. The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them."

"Okay. If we run, then maybe Kaecilius will follow us and leave this planet alone, like when we left Earth. We form the snake-worm thingamajig and we-"

Hunk began to make a hissing sound the way a snake would as he wiggles his arms around.

"-out of here."

Sandra and Keith didn't think it wise.

"Didn't you hear a word he said? Even if we left, Kaecilius will destroy the planet and everyone on it."

"Staying is our only option."

As they began overlapping their arguments, Lapis began to cover her ears, struggling to comprehend the situation as her nails dig into her hair.

"Here's an option: shut your _quiznak_."

As Allura, Babak, and Coran grew shocked at his use, Jenny knew it wasn't quite correct.

"Uh, that's not what the word means, Lance."

"Well, tough brownies. I'm not going to lose you again."

At this point, Jenny and Lance went back and forth before Pidge and Hunk did the same.

"We're staying."

"Leaving!"

"Staying!"

"Snake!"

Already stressed out by the impending invasion, Lapis finally snapped at their words.

"Everyone, shut up!"

The crowd turned to see Lapis trembling on the ground as she didn't even bother to hold back her tears.

"It doesn't matter if we stay or leave! Everyone's going to die and it's all my fault!"

Hearing this, Allura tried to understand what she meant.

"How do you know that?"

"Don't you get it, Allura?! You were right all along! All Galra are enemies, especially the ones who try to help you!"

Then, Lapis turned and ran from the hall as Keith and Jenny ran after her.

"Lapis!"

"Don't bother looking for me! I shouldn't even be here!"

As Lapis took off in a rush, Keith and Jenny chased after her in an attempt to make her feel better, much to Babak's displeasure.

"Wait!"

"Come back!"

"Oh, great. Just what we need. Deserters."

Allura felt the need to talk with her to help out.

"Excuse me a moment, Coran. I need to talk with Lapis. She needs to know the stakes."

"Perhaps your father can help."

Hearing this, Allura became surprised as she widened her eyes.

"My father?"

* * *

 **Part 3**

* * *

In another room, Lapis just ran into it, finding no luck with the exit. When she stopped, she just fell to the floor in front of a hologram projector and sobbed her heart out. Just then, a voice responded to her.

"What troubles you, my child?"

Then, Lapis looked up to see a holographic figure in the castle, much to her surprise. She tried to ask him as she tried to hold back her tears.

"W-Who are you?"

"I am Alfor, the former ruler of Altea."

Lapis widened her eyes before coming back to hearing how Zarkon annihilate him and his home. That, in turn, made tears come back as she placed her hands over her eyes. "Oh, Alfor. I am so sorry."

Alfor only smiled at her and placed his hand on her head.

"What for? You've done nothing wrong."

"Don't you know what I am? I'm a Galra. A race that destroyed yours, and is an enemy to everything free. I shouldn't even be looking at you!"

"My child. The origins of your race do not determine who you are. What does is your heart. Nothing else. Although, you're not the only one with a wounded heart. I scattered the Lions of Voltron to keep them out of Zarkon's hands. Allura urged me to keep them and fight, but, for the greater good of protecting the universe, I chose to hide them."

"I know you have."

"No, Lapis. She was right. I made a terrible mistake, one that cost the universe countless lives."

Lapis held her hands together as she spoke.

"Honestly, I envy you. At least you don't have to live for making a terrible mistake. Meanwhile, I have to stay here. Knowing I brought them here... it's so agonizing, I'd swear I might as well be at Wozblay. I hate it so much."

"You don't have to like it. But that doesn't mean you should do nothing, either. You need to do something to fix your mistake. I never got the chance, but you do. You still have a chance. That's what the sixth lion is for."

"The sixth lion?"

"Unlike the other lions, it was made from Galra Quintessence. It requires a pilot who has seen the flaws of his or her kind and refuses to let them go unnoticed in a constant strive for it to become better. This is why you, Lapis, will be the one to pilot the Violet Lion, should you find it, and set things right."

Hearing this, Lapis wiped her tears away and nodded.

"I understand now. Thank you so much, Alfor. I'll never forget you."

After she had finished speaking with him, Lapis felt a light glow on her body as she turned to see Allura, Keith, and Jenny behind her.

"Hey, guys."

Then, Jenny noticed her new look as she pointed at her.

"Hey, where'd you get the new suit? It looks pretty lit."

Lapis looked at herself to see that she's in a Paladin's suit, only fashioned to be similar to that of a Galra Commander's uniform, as it was in red and the V on it was in Violet.

"I don't know. But I do know what we have to do. Allura, do you know where to start?"

Allura nodded back to Lapis as she shook her hand.

* * *

Back at the hanger, Allura was in her pink Paladin outfit and with her hair tied up behind her.

"You six Paladins were brought here for a reason. The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe's only hope. We are the universe's only hope."

"We're with you, Princess."

Then, Allura took them to the armory where five suits were hung as Lapis already had one of her own.

"Your suits of armor."

As they looked around, Jenny couldn't help but be in awe, as did the others.

"Whoa. This is like Star Trek or something."

"Cool!"

"Outstanding."

"Nice."

"Neat."

Then, Jenny noticed a white suit in the armory, making her curious as she turned to Allura.

"Uh, you don't mind if I wear one of these, do you?"

"I don't see why not. If we did manage to find it, you'd be its Paladin anyhow."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know if your journal has covered this, but... my father had a sister once. She was named Alphus. She worked with him to create the Lions of Voltron. It required a Paladin who would do anything to keep her team as one and to help ensure that they are not alone."

"Wow... she must've been really special."

Allura couldn't agree more as she smiled before replying.

"Indeed. More so than you would ever believe. Also, as a fun fact, it can supposedly rely on two Paladins for control at a time."

"Oh. Cool."

As Hunk looked at his outfit, he felt there was a problem concerning his weight until Sandra cleared it up.

"Maybe it's one size fits all."

Coran was beginning to have doubts, as was Babak before Allura reminded them of her faith.

"Princess, are you sure about this? They aren't exactly the best and the brightest the universe has to offer."

"Really? And I thought I was the only one who noticed."

"No, but they're all we've got."

Then, Shiro spoke up.

"Ladies and Gentleman, it's time to suit up!"

Jenny grew confused on how to do that.

"Uh, with what?"

Then, everyone got dressed into their uniforms, with Jenny wearing a the White Paladin outfit as everyone else got dressed into their designated uniforms. Then, Babak and Allura opened two containers, revealing yellow, red, green, blue, and two violet handles, as well as the White one in the center.

"The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It takes a distinct shape for each Paladin."

As the yellow bayard was handed to Hunk, he took it and it ended up turning into a machine gun. It clink to the floor at first, but he was able to pick it back up. As for Keith, his bayards turned into a sword and a shield for him as Jenny and Lance's bayards turned into a sharpshooter for him and a White chain blade for her. As Lance scanned the area for targets, Jenny swung her chain blade around before it went back onto her bayard.

"Whoo!"

"Awesome!"

As for Pidge, his bayard granted him a green Angular Katar. Lance saw this and tried to poke fun at it, much to Jenny's warning.

"Aw, you got a cute little bayard."

"If I were you, I wouldn't underestimate cute."

To prove this, Pidge shocked Lance with his bayard, causing Jenny to burst in laughter.

"Yeah, it is pretty cute."

"Ah, that was so funny."

As for Lapis, her bayards summoned two purple swords, of which she wielded with great skill and grew impressed with as they changed to other weapons, like a chain blade, and purple sais as well.

"This might be a bit much for me. But I can manage"

Allura turned to Shiro in apology.

"Shiro, I'm afraid your bayard was lost with its Paladin."

"I guess I'll just have to make due."

However, Lapis has other plans as she planned to hand one of her bayards to Shiro.

"Will it work if I give one of mine to Shiro, Babak?"

"Unfortunately not. Certain Bayards only work for certain Paladins."

With that, Lapis pulled her hands back as she held her head down.

"Sorry, Shiro."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

* * *

At the main hangar, Allura showed the schematics of Kaecilius's ship.

"You'll need to retrieve the Red and Violet Lions from Kaecilius's ship."

As they looked upon it, Sandra grew confused about the groundwork of their plan as she spoke.

"Looks pretty big. How are we gonna know where the lions are?"

Pidge and Shiro, on the other hand, had an idea how to work with this.

"It's not a matter of 'we.' It's a matter of 'your brother and Lapis.'"

"Pidge is right. Once we get you guys in, you'll be able to feel their presence and track it down."

Jenny had supporting evidence to back it up as she spoke.

"Yeah, guys. Remember when we felt that crazy energy back at the desert?"

"Yeah. Lance made fun of me for that."

"That's pretty much water under the bridge. Turns out, it's exactly like that."

Allura felt the need to remind them of the lions' potencies.

"Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn its respect. And Lapis, we don't know the first thing about this Violet Lion."

"It's a good thing I do."

Then, Shiro placed his hand on Keith's shoulder as he relayed the plan.

"All right. Here's our plan of attack."

* * *

As he explained, Lance, Jenny, and Hunk mobilize toward Kaecilius's ship, Shiro have out the details in a flashback.

 _"The Galra Empire knows about the Blue and Yellow Lion, but they don't know we have the Green Lion, too. Hunk, Lance, you'll act as a decoy by pretending to give yourselves up."_

As the Green Lion flew towards the Galra Ship undetected, Lance activated his transmission to Kaecilius.

"Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our lions."

Kaecilius smoked at their compliance.

"I had a feeling you'd listen to reason."

As the ship moved closer, Lance stated his worry.

"I hope this works."

As Shiro proceeded explaining, the Green Lion landed on the ship's undercarriage. Then, Pidge cut a hole into the ship, allowing Pidge, Keith, Sandra, Lapis, Jenny, and Shiro to enter undetected.

 _"While Kaecilius is distracted, Keith, Lapis, Pidge, Sandra, Jenny, and I will sneak onto the ship in the Green Lion. Keith, Lapis, and I will find the lions while Pidge, Jenny, and Sandra guard our exit. Hunk, Lance, find some way to take down that ion cannon."_

As the Galra ship opened the door, Lance checked on their progress.

"Jenny, what's your PTA?"

Jenny answered as they have successfully entered the belly of the beast.

"We're in the belly of the beast. Repeat, we're in the belly of the beast. I've always wanted to say that."

Back at the main hangar of the Galra Ship, Kaecilius is certain there's foul play afoot.

"Usually, mortals are too prideful to know their place... activate tractor beam."

As a glowing, purple light shone in preparation, Lance and Hunk grew worried.

"What's that thing?"

"I think that's our signal to get out of here!"

Then, Hunk and Lance immediately got out of the way and swerved around, much to Sendak's anger and Kaecilius's confirmation.

"They lied to us."

"I knew it. Sendak, you'll take command from here on out. Kren and I have our own business to attend to."

Sendak didn't hesitate to give orders.

"Launch fighters!"

As the Galra fighters launched outward, Lance had a plan.

"Hunk, you dismantle the ion cannon while I take these jerks on a space ride!"

"Ten-four!"

As Lance took off toward the fighters, Hunk made a break for the ion cannon.

* * *

Inside, Keith, Lapis, Jenny, Pidge, Sandra, and Shiro carefully snuck behind the walls. As Shiro looked around, memories of the hall came back to haunt him. He saw the Galra soldiers coming in to escort him, then experiment on him and Belle before seeing Kaecilius's wicked glare as he laughed. He groaned from hearing that laughter, catching Jenny's attention.

"You alright, Shiro?"

"I've been here before. After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here."

"So, that means your other crew members, they might be held captive here."

"That means sis might be here, too. We've got to rescue them."

"Guys, we don't have time. We have to get the lions and get back to Arus."

"But we can't just leave prisoners here!"

"Look, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make hard choices. Now, let's get moving."

Then, Jenny clenched her fist before she and Pidge simultaneously barked back at him.

"No!"

Hearing him say this, Jenny turned to Pidge.

"Huh? Not that I have a problem, but why won't you?"

"Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones who went to the Kerberos Mission with Belle and Shiro."

"Commander Holt is your father?"

Jenny widened her eyes as she just found out his father was someone of major importance.

"Shut up."

"I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother, and I'm not gonna give up when I'm this close. I won't!"

"I'm coming with you."

That earned Pidge and Jenny's confusion before Keith and Lapis spoke up.

"What?"

"But why?"

"I remember where the prisoners are held. Keith, Lapis, you go find the lions. Sandra, can you still guard our exit?"

"You kidding?"

Then, Sandra changed her bayard to a sniper rifle.

"This'll be a piece of cake."

"By ourselves?"

"Minor change of plans. You'll be fine. Just remember, patience yields focus. So—"

When he heard the doors open, three Paladins each took an opposite direction.

"Run!"

The source of the footsteps turned out to be from Kaecilous and Kren. He drew an exhale before opening his eyes to reveal footprints that are unfamiliar and each splitting in different directions.

"How fortunate that I saw it coming. Kren, you take the left path. I'll take the right."

"Yes, master."

* * *

As Keith, Lapis, and Sandra ran off, they ended up stuck with two directions to go to.

"Great. Now, which way?"

"You can go right and I'll go left."

However, the left side wasn't an option as a Galra soldier came by. Fortunately, Sandra was able to shoot him and knock him out before turning to Lapis.

"How about you both go right? I'll stay here and guard the exit."

With that, Keith and Lapis nodded before they went right.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk darted toward the ion cannon, only to be bumped back by a barrier of some kind.

"What the quiznak? What is that? A force field?"

* * *

Back on Arus, Babak knew it could be the work of Kaecilius.

"Kaecilius must have saw it coming. He used his magic to create a barrier to prevent it from being destroyed. Curse that creature."

Allura, in the meantime was having trouble with her own.

"Particle barrier up!"

The barrier seemed to cover the castle. However, it didn't last long and shut down.

"Is that what's supposed to happen?"

"No, Coran. Something must've been out of place."

Babak was proven correct as one barrier crystal was yellow and leaning while the other was blue and straight.

"Just as I thought. One of the barrier crystals is out of alignment."

"We have to fix it immediately. Without the particle barrier, we'll be defenseless."

"We're both too big. What can we do?"

Babak had an idea.

"We obviously can't fit in there. But I know four of your friends who might."

As if on cue, Allura's mice scurried into the panel and rearranged the crystal back in order.

"The mice!"

"How do they know how to do this?"

"I can hear them talking to me. I think our minds are connected. It must be from sharing the sleep pod for 10,000 years."

Babak, who oversaw the panel, saw it go online.

"The particle barrier is ready. Not bad for a bunch of lab rats."

As the mice squeaked in joy, Allura thanked them while Coran was grunting with his fingers on his head.

"Thank you, friends."

"Coran, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get them to make me a sandwich."

Babak groaned before communicating to Keith.

"The particle barrier has been activated. How are things on your end?"

* * *

Back at the ship, Keith and Lapis we're having no luck as he communicated to Babak.

"No luck. This whole ship is like a maze."

This is proven to be the case when they stopped at the same hall where Sandra is.

"What's up?"

Keith only groaned in response as Lapis put her hand on his back.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Remember, Keith. Patience yields focus."

Then, Keith took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then, Lapis did the same and felt the lions calling out to them from behind. Then, they opened their eyes and found the lions.

"Gotcha."

As they took off, Sandra blinked her eyes.

"Okay?"

However, she didn't notice a dark shadow behind her scurrying to the ceiling toward them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny, Shiro, and Pidge saw a Galra drone scanning them, urging Pidge to take action and blast it, paralyzing it.

"That thing saw us. We should get out of here."

"Wait. I think this might come in handy."

Pidge began to rewire the drone and closed its panel once he was finished.

"Now, I'll just reset the controls..."

Suddenly, the drone glowed blue and floated alongside them.

"And it's working for us."

Jenny was so impressed with Pidge's skills.

"That's so cool! What are you gonna name it?"

"I'm going to call it 'Rover.'"

Jenny giggled at that before she ran to catch up with Shiro.

"Wait up!"

They stopped at one door and opened it up with Rover's help by using a laser to unlock it as a passkey.

"Nice job."

As the door opened up, they saw various prisoners and ran in to look for their lost ones.

"Dad?"

"Sis?"

However, they couldn't see them and the both of them grew sad as Shiro stepped into the cell.

"Don't be afraid. We're here to help you escape."

One of the prisoners recognized him.

"It's you... it's you, the Champion. If anyone can get us out of here, he can."

"Wh... What did you call me?"

"We don't have much time. Let's get to the escape pods."

Jenny was still shaken by the fact she couldn't find her.

"But... my sis..."

"I know. I couldn't find my father or brother, either. But it won't do them any good if we get caught, okay?"

"But... how can you just move on, knowing they're still out there?"

"It's because I know they're out there that I'm moving on. They'll be fine."

Taking in every word he said, Jenny nodded.

"Okay."

"Let's go. Come on!"

* * *

Outside, Lance was flying away from the Galra fighters while enjoying himself.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Yeah, buddy! This is way more fun without Hunk's barfing!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk tried to smash the barrier, but without success as he groaned while Babak barked at him on the transmission.

"Keep pressing your assault, Hunk! The more damage you inflict on his barrier, the weaker it gets!"

"Yeah, and the sicker I get!"

"I don't want excuses! I want results!"

* * *

Inside, Keith found the Red Lion in a red particle barrier while Lapis found the Violet Lion in a violet barrier.

"Bingo."

"Let's get out of here. Open up."

While Keith tried to convince it through negotiation, Lapis tried to convince it via reasoning.

"It's me. Keith. Your buddy. It's me! Keith, your— I am your Paladin!"

"Please. You saw what my race is doing. The fact is... I'm one of them, but... I don't want to see my race like this anymore. I want it to change. I can't make this happen without you."

However, Kaecilius begged to differ.

"Actually, it can."

Lapis and Keith turned to see Kaecilius standing in front of them.

"Because I am the only one who sees the necessary change: total extinction of all mortals!"

Kaecilius then fired his black lightning at Lapis, only for Keith to help her using his shield while simultaneously trying to convince the Red Lion to open up.

"I'm bonding with you! Hey! Come on! We're connected!"

At the same time, Lapis opened up to the Violet Lion again.

"Please! I need you! I can't make this change without you!"

Then, Keith charged toward Kaecilius with his sword.

"You're not getting those lions!"

As Keith swung his sword at Kaecilius, he countered with his black aura coated hand and clashed it before he ended up being shoved away.

"Admirable effort... for a mortal."

Then, he fired a streak of black lightning at Keith, knocking him to the floor. Seeing this, Lapis grew more desperate.

"Please! Without you, I... I'm weak... I don't know what to do without you..."

Then, the Violet barrier lifted itself before it flared its pink eyes and smashed its tail at the ejection panel, causing a section of the ground to open up, ejecting Kaecilius, who immediately snarled as he noticed the hole Pidge made previously and used his black lightning to propel himself there. Once he got in, he smashed his fist into the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith had just got caught on the pull and is trying to get up, but was struggling to resist. Lapis saw this and reached out for him after he got whacked by the first round of debris. When the second round hit him, Lapis was able to grab his hand and tried to pull him closer. However, she only ended up caught in the pull as well and went down with him. They panted heavily as they were close together. Then, to their surprise, they saw the Red Lion going after them and opening his mouth. Keith immediately shoved Lapis away in order for the Red Lion to get him before the Violet Lion got her as well. Then, the two of them darted away together as the both of them got in the cockpits.

"Good kitty."

Then, Lapis appeared in his transmission.

"Keith, you okay?"

"Yeah. Let's roll."

* * *

Inside the ship, Shiro, Jenny, and Pidge were leading the prisoners to the escape pods.

"Hurry!"

Suddenly, they heard a feminine voice speaking to them.

"Not so fast!"

Pidge, Jenny, and Shiro gasped at the source of the voice: Kren. Along with her are four Galra drones.

"No one is leaving."

Shiro and Jenny immediately recognized her.

"Belle?"

"Arrest these intruders and send the others back to their cells."

"But, sis... why?"

As Jenny ended up struck by a bombshell, Shiro got into his stance, causing his arm to glow pink before he ended up groaning in pain. At the same time, Jenny put her hands on her head and tried to convince herself it was all a dream.

"This isn't real. It can't be real."

"Shiro, Jenny, what's wrong?"

Then, as he got used to it, Shiro's glowing hand released the tension as a gust of black dust emitted from it. Then, as he charged at one of the drones, he blocked it with his hand before slicing its neck and hacked two more to pieces before destroying the final one with a punch, much to Pidge's surprise. However, Kren wasn't impressed.

"Kaecilius was right. You mortals are savage."

Hearing this, Jenny snapped back to reality and found out the truth.

"Wait a second. My sis wouldn't talk like that."

Then, Kren smirked as she prepared a long, pink aura blade on her right hand before she charged at Shiro, who clashed his hand against hers. As they clashed, Jenny made a deduction.

"Of course. She wasn't just captured. She's hypnotized. That explains my vision. I gotta thank it later."

As Kren and Shiro clashed, Shiro tried to snap her out of it.

"Listen! I was a prisoner like you, Belle. I got out; so can you!"

"I don't need anyone to save me."

"You can only save yourself."

Hearing this, Kren grew angry as she gave the sword a dark black glow inside the blade.

"I... don't... need... saving!"

Then, Kren sliced down along his arm, earning his yell of pain, urging Jenny to think of a plan.

"Come on, come on. Think!"

Then, she remembered her bayard and got it ready as Kren lifted Shiro by the shoulder.

"I wanted to stay. I wanted to work with Kaecilius. I wanted to annihilate you and your pathetic friends!"

Then, her arm that's lifting him up glowed pink and began torturing Shiro with electric shocks as she pointed her sword at his head.

"And now... I never want to see your face again."

Then, Jenny launched her chain blade and wrapped it around Kren while also wrapping her sword along the side of her body before sending her own shock, causing her to yell in pain as her pink eyes faded away into her normal eyes. Then, Kren moaned as she passed out. Shiro then turned to see Jenny panting heavily.

"Sorry to do that to you, sis. But you definitely needed that."

With that, the pod began to take off with the prisoners as one of them thanked him before it closed.

"Thank you, Shiro."

Then, as it took off, Shiro tried to ask him.

"Wait! How do you..."

Then, Pidge turned to Shiro and Jenny while stating his excitement.

"Guys, that was amazing! Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Me? I barely did anything. Come to think of it, how did you and sis fight with energy blades and stuff?"

"No idea."

"It's okay. We can ask sis when she wakes up."

* * *

Outside, Hunk fired a blue laser beam at the barrier, breaking it apart. However, it still had yet to break completely.

"Come on, just break, you stupid thing!"

Eventually, the barrier broke apart, exposing the ion cannon.

"Excellent work! Now you know what to do!"

"Score one for Hunk!"

Then, Hunk collided into the ion cannon, barely making a dent, but it will suffice for the time being. Then, Hunk saw the Green and Blue Lions leaving Kaecilius's ship as he spoke with Pidge and Sandra speaking before the rest of the Lions took off.

"You guys made it!"

"Kitties Rose and Violet have left the stage!"

"Let's get the heck out of here!"

"I hope I stopped that cannon. I could barely make a dent in it."

* * *

Inside the main hangar, Haxxus pointed out the incoming problem.

"They stole the Red and Violet Lions!"

In anger, Sendak shouted towards him.

"After them! Either we get those lions or we blow this whole planet to cosmic dust! Fire the ion cannon!"

"Sir, the ion cannon has been damaged."

"Then, send the drones to fix it!"

However, Kaecilius spoke in an furious tone as he stomped in the hangar.

"No. The ion cannon is far too good for them. I promise you, they will fall by the hand of Kaecilius and Kaecilius alone!"

* * *

As the ship approached Arus, the five lions gathered at the door alongside Shiro, awaiting the Black Lion. As their eyes glowed yellow (and pink for the Violet Lion), the links of the lions came together, as measured by Allura who held her hands together as she witnessed it. Then, the door glowed blue as it opened up to reveal a Black Lion with two red wings on its back as Shiro and the others gazed in awe. Then, the Black Lion roared before the others did. Allura made a sigh of relief as Babak and Coran cheered. However, it wasn't to last as the alarm went off and showed another transmission from Kaecilius, and he clearly wasn't happy.

"Oh, quiznak!"

"You dare assault a god and steal his property?! I'll see to it that your souls are erased from existence!"

Allura felt the need to warn the others.

"Kaecilius is entering the Arusian atmosphere. We need Voltron now!"

Then, Shiro got into the Black Lion and grabbed onto the two bars in front of him before it roared and took off into the air with the other five following him. Then, the lions merged from the top of the castle and landed, facing their foes. Zarix noticed this and cackled.

"You fools! You couldn't have made this any easier on us!"

Then, Zarix began his assault on the barrier while Kaecilius emerged from where the tractor beam opened up and floated until he landed on top of the ion cannon. Kaecilius prepared a dark black and purple energy from his outstretched hand. Then, he fired a large, black lightning at the barrier, causing the castle to shake as a dark barrier enveloped it before it faded away. Hunk took a closer look and saw Kaecilius fuming at the events that took place as his purple eyes flared dark black on his sclera.

"Man, that guy is so angry!"

Babak and Coran then spoke of their odds as he pointed out the barrier's strength.

"You might have to take him head on. The barrier gets weaker with every blast he fires."

"Once that shield goes down, the castle will be defenseless."

Allura had an idea to help prolong this fate as she spoke, much to Hunk's chagrin.

"I can give you cover with the castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!"

"Jeez, no pressure."

Lapis agreed with Allura.

"She's right, though. I know it's considered the second Voltron, but how do I make it happen?"

Just then, Kaecilius fired another black lightning at the castle, enveloping it in a dark barrier again. This time, the barrier is getting weaker. Shiro groaned as he recovered from the effects before he tried to convince them to go on.

"Listen Up, Team Voltron! He only way to succeed is give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?"

Then, everyone nodded before Hunk spoke up.

"I'm nodding. Is everyone else nodding?"

"Yes." "Let's do this!"

As they took off outside the barrier, Lance was curious on how to make it happen.

"Uh, how?"

"Good question. Does anyone have any ideas on how to form Voltron?"

Lapis and Hunk gave their honest answers, seeing as they were.

"Nope."

"I don't see a 'combine into giant robot' button anywhere on my dashboard."

However, Lapis saw two thin holes for each of her bayards glowing and got them out.

"I think my lion has another idea."

Then, she plunged the bayards into the holes, instantly transforming the Violet Lion. The Lion stood on its hind legs as its paws turned into hands and feet and the Galra symbol glowed pink on its chest before its mouth opened up to reveal a head before it stood in front of the lions, catching their attention. "Whoa." Kaecilius noticed this and snarled.

"Curse you..."

Lapis began her defense as she spoke to the Paladins.

"I'll take care of the ships and Kaecilius. You figure out how to form Voltron!"

Then, they jumped off of the bridge as the Violet Voltron swatted at the ships as Pidge grew annoyed.

"This is insane! Can't they just cease fire for one minute so we can figure this out? Is that too much to ask?"

Sandra thought it was a stupid question as she witnessed the battle with Allura, Babak, Jenny, and Coran.

"Of course it is! Judging from the look on Kaecilius's face, that's the last thing he wants to do!"

Keith can agree with his sister.

"We've got to do something."

Suddenly, Hunk bumped into Keith in an attempt to form Voltron.

"Combine!"

However, that didn't work as he just rolled over.

"Hey!"

"Okay, that didn't work."

Then, they scurried off as the Violet Voltron attacked the ships approaching the castle and received a transmission from Allura.

"Quickly, Paladins! Our energy levels are low!"

Lapis had problems of her own.

"I'm having a bit of a problem! They just won't let up!"

Soon, the Violet Voltron ended up being blasted by Varek and Zarix as they smirked.

"You better come up with something and fast!"

Fortunately, Shiro came up with a plan.

"Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine. Take off on my cue."

Then, the lions darted toward Kaecilius.

"One, two, three, Voltron!"

Keith, Sandra, Lance and Jenny had hoped it'd work.

"Here we go!"

"This better work!"

"Come on, come on!"

However, Kaecilius saw them and used his other hand to fire a glowing purple beacon at them, pulling them towards him. The Paladins didn't quite notice this, however, as Lance didn't feel any different.

"Nothing's happening."

Shiro began feeling otherwise as he spoke up.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!"

Hunk began feeling the same thing the others were.

"It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction!"

Shiro looked up and saw Kaecilius smirking as he pulled them.

"Uh, guys, I think I know why. Look up."

Lance and Pidge didn't like that one bit.

"What the cheese?"

"Kaecilius is sucking us in like a black hole!"

As he pulled in his prey, Kaecilius stated his proclamation.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Paladins of Voltron. For your persistent insolence and repeated affronts toward the Master Race, you will now reap the swift and severe consequences of your actions!"

Then, Kaecilius fired a black lightning blast at the barrier, only for Lapis to summon a shield and blocked it. However, a small fraction of it trailed off from the shield and consumed the barrier before it destroyed it, frightening Lapis.

"No!"

Shiro saw this and grew worried.

"Oh, no."

"I don't care what you say, Shiro. I'm panicking now!"

As Hunk made a monotonous scream, Pidge and the others grew worried.

"It can't end here!"

"This is it!"

"It's been an honor flying with you all."

Kaecillius smirked as the lions grew closer to him. Lapis tried to go after them, only for Vaxel to fire a dark lightning blast at her, short-circuiting it and causing it to fall to the ground. Lapis looked up to see Kaecilius preparing another volley.

"No..."

However, Shiro wasn't willing to give up.

"No! We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up. We are the universe's only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail! We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!"

"Yeah!"

Then, the lions roared before they glowed and split away from the tractor beam. The black lion roared as its legs are pulled back inside it while the Green and Red Lions remolded themselves into arms while the Yellow and Blue Lions molded into legs. As the arms connected, they grew longer. Then. The back legs of the Black Lion went inside the legs and connected them with the Yellow and Blue Lions. Then, Kaecilius fired his black lightning, only for the new fusion to waylay it and hit a nearby mountain.

"What?!"

At the castle, Allura, Babak, and Coran saw the figure as they got a scan of it while Kaecilius snarled even more so at the name of the being that stopped him.

"Voltron."

The others were in awe at the giant robot with Keith, Sandra, and Jenny stating their excitement before the Paladins of Green, Yellow, and Blue stated theirs with the two girls at the Castle.

"I can't believe it!"

"Pretty killer."

"I must be dreaming!"

"We formed Voltron!"

"I'm a leg."

"How are we doing this?"

"I don't know, but let's get Kaecilius!"

With that, Voltron glared at Kaecilius before he took the cannon and chucked it away, forcing Kaecilius to take flight. Lapis saw this and pushed herself up while pushing the bayards further, causing the Violet Voltron to summon two swords against Vaxel, Varek, and Zarix before slashing a violet wave toward them and knocking them out.

"You shouldn't have messed with me."

Then, she turned to see Kaeculius flying like a gnat at Voltron, trying in vain to stop him from destroying the ship. Then, the blast sent him farther away as Sendak recovered from the impact. As Voltron kicked into the ship and blasted it, Kaecilius teleported himself in the hangar. Just as Sendak and Haxxus prepares to leave, Kaecilius barked at them.

"Where are you going, cowards! We must fight!"

"But commander..."

"Cowardice will not be tolerated! Victory or death!"

Then, the Paladins shouted as Voltron charged toward the ship and went through it, causing the ship to explode as Kaecilius reluctantly clutched onto Sendak and Haxxus before he spoke.

"This isn't over."

Then, they teleported away as the ship ended up destroyed. After that, everyone cheered as Kaecilius was defeated.

"We did it!"

"That was so cool!"

"We did it."

"Looks like it."

"Pretty awesome, guys."

* * *

Later on, Allura, Babak, and Coran ran outside to congratulate them.

"Good work, Paladins!"

Everyone sighed as Shiro walked toward them while Lance complimented her.

"Thanks, pretty lady."

Jenny heard this and grew jealous.

"Oh. And what does that make me?"

Lance saw no reason for her to get worried and confidently replied.

"You know, my beautiful girlfriend."

Jenny grew reassured and smiled.

"That's right. And don't you forget it."

"We did it."

Keith replied as he removed his helmet.

"Heck yeah, we did."

"How did we do it?"

"I was just, like, screaming this whole time. Maybe that did it."

Then, Pidge thought back to his father and brother as Jenny and Shiro placed their hands on his shoulders.

"We're not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father, okay?"

"Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you."

Then, Jenny thought of Shiro's sister before bringing her up.

"You know, your sis would be proud of you, too, Shiro."

Shiro grew surprised by what she said.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Six months ago, she left to look for you."

"What?"

"Yeah. Ayame's our there too. So... my search isn't over yet. But we are getting closer. So that's good."

Then, Shiro hugged Jenny before he spoke to her.

"Thank you for telling me this."

Jenny hugged him back before speaking to him again.

"You're welcome."

Just then, they heard a feminine groan from the entryway and saw Belle walking out in limps. Jenny saw this and ran from Shiro over to her.

"Sis!"

Instantly, she hugged her older sister and began sobbing on her.

"I looked everywhere for you! I thought you were gone!"

Belle smiled at her little sister and gave her a noogie.

"Come on, Jen. You know it'll take more than that to get rid of me."

Then, despite her tears, Jenny laughed as she hugged her again. Shiro smiled at Belle and walked up to her.

"It's good to have you back, Belle."

"It's good to be back."

Then, she noticed her current attire.

"How come I'm wearing this? More importantly, what's with you, Jen? Were you at a costume party?"

Jenny giggled before replying.

"It's a long story."

Then, Allura spoke up.

"We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions."

Babak didn't bother sugar-coating it.

"Even worse, it'll take more than a damaged ship to defeat Kaecilius."

"Good thing you Paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again."

Hunk and the others grew alarmed while Lapis was sure of herself.

"Totally. Wait, what?"

"Well, I do. But how did you guys do that?"

Jenny tried to think, but couldn't figure out how they did it.

"Hmm. No clue."

Lance felt that they needed a break.

"We barely survived forming Voltron this one time."

"And you only had to fight one ship. Odds are, you could be directly taking on the entirety of the Galra Empire. It won't be easy being the Defenders of the Universe."

Hearing this, everyone widened their eyes before Shiro responded with a smile.

"Defenders of the Universe, huh? That's got a nice ring to it."

 **A/N:** **So, what do you think? I know it was very long for a first chapter and that the first episode is compiled into three parts, but it was technically a series premiere. Anyway, I'm also reworking a bit on the story's elements up ahead so that it doesn't stray from the originality. Enjoy. :)**


	3. Some Assembly Required

**Chapter 2:** Some Assembly Required

The next day, Belle was just told about everything that had happened to Jenny up until Kaecilius's defeat. Honestly, she couldn't sleep a wink after what had happened; adrenaline was basically caffeine for her. So, she spent the night in her uniform telling her older sister the whole story as a long sleepover. If Belle wasn't a night person, she'd be really exhausted.

"So, you're a Paladin of Voltron, now?"

"Yep."

"And Lance is your boyfriend? Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, he can be pretty flirty, but he's also a really nice guy. He even helped me get the confidence I needed to find you. Plus, I share a room with him."

"Wow, you're right. I have really missed a lot."

As Jenny giggled, Belle started laughing a bit herself.

"Okay. Now it's your turn to tell me everything _you've_ been through."

"Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah. You told me you'd tell me after I did."

"Geez, I didn't think you'd remember that. Well, I... I don't really remember much; it's just bits and pieces."

"Just tell me what you do know, then. It'll be easier."

"Well, if you say so."

Just then, Allura's voice went on speaker all around the castle.

"Everybody up! Zarkon's attacking!"

Jenny knew from experience that it was a drill, considering Allura never said it wasn't.

"Welp! Duty calls!"

With that, Jenny darted out of the room grabbing her bayard. As she ran to the main hangar, she tried to picture for herself how Zarkon would look like.

"So, the head honcho's on his way, huh? Is he gonna have long fluffy ears, or is he gonna be rock hard? Yeah. Definitely the second one."

As she pondered it, Allura continued to speak out.

"The Castle's about to be destroyed! Go, go, go! We need Voltron now!"

However, when Jenny got there, she noticed, Allura, Babak, and Coran in the main hangar.

"Hurry! We can't survive much longer!"

Jenny just stood confused as Coran and Allura carried on.

"Uh..."

"You've got to sell it a little bit more."

Babak knew what he meant by theatrics and wanted no part of it.

"Please don't. Your theatrics are too melodramatic for my taste."

"Too late! Oh, no! Allura is dead! Aw, it's horrible! Her head fell off! Wait! What? Her severed head is trying to speak to me! What is it, Allura's head? What are your final words?"

Then, Jenny tried to make herself known before his theatrics went on any further.

"Ahem."

Only Babak and Allura were the ones to notice her as she tried to speak to him first.

"Coran."

"Oh, yes, Princess, I'm listening."

Babak only groaned before he spoke.

"It's over."

As the Castle shut its alarm off, Jenny noticed the other Paladins while Coran milked his theatrics a bit more.

"Oh, I know! If only Voltron had been formed."

Babak felt a quip was needed.

"No, Coran. Just your acting career."

Then, Coran noticed the Paladins had arrived.

"Oh! Time!"

Shiro could make a guess as to what it was.

"I guess this isn't an actual attack."

Jenny lent her two cents into what it was next.

"Nah, just a drill. I'm always ready for a drill, be it Earth or Arus."

However, that didn't make Allura any happier.

"And it's a good thing it was, because it took you... Babak?"

Babak consulted his timer and labeled each.

"Jenny got here at about 10 ticks since the drill started. Shiro: 11, Sandra, Lapis, and Keith: tied for 12, Pidge: 17, Hunk: 24, and Lance is 35 ticks and counting, putting him... dead last."

"Exactly. For all of you to get here, it was too long. You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! Only Jenny, Shiro, and Lapis are in uniform. Keith, Sandra, Pidge, Hunk, where are your bayards?"

Then, upon his name being spoken, Jenny realized someone else was missing.

"Never mind that. Where's Lance?"

Just then, Lance arrived in blue lion slippers and a blue robe. He yawned a bit before he spoke.

"Good morning, everybody. How's it going?"

"Coran, Babak, and I have been up for hours getting the castle back in order. We had to run a test on the alarms, and we decided to test you as well. Guess which one failed."

Jenny was furious at Lance for being dead last. And yet, as much as she wanted to be mad, she just couldn't.

"Doh! You're lucky you're so darn handsome, or I'd give you such a whopping."

Babak wanted to whop Lance since he got here, so he didn't want the opportunity to go to waste.

"How about I take charge for you?"

Lance looked at Babak, confused.

"You, my friend, have just earned yourself two... hundred pushups."

"What?! You're stark-raving mad!"

"Talk back to me again and I'll make it 2,000!"

Panicking, Lance immediately dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups.

"One, two, three, four..."

As he did pushups, Jenny was amazed while Hunk grew exhausted.

"How do you do that?"

"Well, I'm a soldier. Comes with the territory."

"Hey!"

Hunk yawned before he continued his complaint.

"You got to sleep for 10,000 years, man. Monday night, I was on Earth. Now, I've flown through space, fought some evil alien named Kaecilius, eaten goo in some weird castle. That's a lot to process in, uh... I don't know. What day is today?"

Coran was kind enough to answer, although it was hard to decipher at the moment.

"It's the third quintant of the Spicolian movement. Hump day!"

Jenny was familiar with that.

"Oh, yeah. Back on Earth, Hump day was the middle of the week. Only we called it 'Wednesday.'"

"Fascinating trivia."

"Anyway, it's a lot to process."

As Allura explained, she pulled up a star map, revealing that Zarkon's faction has conquered most of it. She then scrolled over to the blue quadrant: Earth.

"You must understand the stakes of our mission. Over the last 10,000 years, the Castle picked up distress beacons from the following locations. So, we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the entire known universe. Earth is here. An attack on your planet is inevitable."

Hunk and Jenny feared the worst in an instant.

"Oh, no."

"That means... if we don't stop Kaecilius _or_ Zarkon..."

"Exactly. Our mission is to free all those planets. Coran, Babak, and I are getting the Castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron, so we can begin fighting Zarkon."

Shiro could agree with her.

"The Princess is right. Let's get to our lions and start training."

However, Babak spoke up.

"Zip, bup, bup, bup, bup! Not so fast. The females, including Jenny, are going to be exempt from training."

Lance heard this and grew shocked.

"What? Why?!"

Babak turned to Lance.

"Yip, yip, yip. What did I say about talking back?"

Lance only groaned in frustration before Babak spoke.

"They're not the Paladins of Voltron; you are. Thus, it wouldn't exactly be training when you're trying to form the Defender of the Universe."

Sandra had an idea on what it meant.

"So, what you're saying is that we have a day off?"

"Simply put, yes. A _mandatory_ day off."

Usually, Jenny's excited about day offs, but since they're in an alien world, she had to be sure they're on the same topic.

"And, uh, what do we do on day offs, as far as Altea?"

"Pretty much just that. Time off from working and reveling in any activity you see fit."

Jenny had had an idea on what to do.

"Well, I could study the Altean language."

Lapis and Sandra had another suggestion.

"I could do some training on the deck."

"Same here."

Hearing their input, Babak grew pleases as he spoke.

"Then it's settled."

Then, Hunk grew surprised about the training deck's existence in the Castle.

"There's a training deck?"

* * *

Later, Lapis and Sandra were sparring against each other with their bayards, doubling as swords. After pushing herself away from Lapis, Sandra rushed at her and attempted an overhead slash at her, only for Lapis to block it with her swords. Taking advantage of the lapse, Lapis rolled backwards with her swords dragging Sandra's away until they disconnected and launched Sandra to a far distance. However, Sandra was able to recover from this with her own roll and landed on her feet. She then looked back toward Lapis and smiled.

"Not bad. You'd give Zarkon a run for his money."

"Thanks. I usually prefer close combat to long range, so I can stare my enemy on the eye."

"Not bad. Just as long as you don't discount..."

Suddenly, Sandra tossed her blade at Lapis, who caught it in between her hands.

"Hmm. The element of surprise. I like that."

"Yeah, that's my go-to tactic."

Then, Lapis took a look at the blade that was chucked at her and noticed her blade on the belt as well.

"Wait, you have that blade, too?"

"Well, I should. Keith and I are family, after all."

"You are?"

Hearing this, Lapis began to blush, catching Sandra's attention.

"Why are you blushing?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry. I assumed you and Keith would be, well, you know..."

Sandra was visibly getting annoyed about that.

"Why does everyone think we're going out?"

Sandra took a deep breath before coming to an understanding.

"I get that we're intense, but why should that mean we're going out?"

"Look, it's not your fault. It just runs in the family."

Sandra looked to Lapis and smiled.

"Yeah. I guess it does. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Well, I assumed you were going out and... I just wanted to..."

"Hold up. You have a crush on my brother?"

Lapis grew shocked that she was that obvious, but shortly after, admitted it.

"Well, yes. I wasn't trying to make it awkward or anything."

"You kidding? It's not awkward at all."

"How can you be so sure?"

"For one thing, at least people would stop thinking that me and Keith are a couple. Besides, if you are a couple with my brother, that means I'd get to spar with you all day. That sounds like a done deal to me."

"Yeah, there's that, isn't there? But... what if he doesn't feel the same?"

"Why wouldn't he? He ran to look for you when you took off the other day. That means he cares about you."

"So did Jenny. Who knows what it could mean?"

"Well, I do know something. A woman can't marry another woman. Well, you can, but that's just plain weird in my opinion. Although, I don't know how it'll work with the Galra. In which case, I'm yours."

With that, Sandra and Lapis began to blush upon realizing the words that came out of her mouth as Sandra tried to explain before Lapis thought it best to move on.

"Uh, not that I'm asking to date you or anything. It's just that—"

"Okay, alright. Enough boy talk. What else do we do for fun around here?"

"Maybe this time, we'll try working together. We could even be their coaches for the day."

Lapis heard this and liked the idea.

"Okay, I'm in."

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, Kaecilius had teleported to Zarkon's palace, much to his intrigue.

"You've returned early. Did you complete your mission?"

"It is far from complete, my Emperor. It is still ongoing. I merely came to deliver my most recent report, up close and personal."

"Go on."

"It is as you thought. The lions had formed into Voltron and destroyed the ship. As if that weren't bad enough, the Violet Lion has become active as well."

That caused Zarkon a great deal of surprise.

"What?"

"Yes. And it is currently in the hands of that young prisoner, Lapis. I left Sendak and Haxxus on Arus. After all, weakness is an infection. Better to cut it out than to let it spread."

Zarkon grew a bit cautious around him.

"It seems I've taught you well, Kaecilius. Perhaps... too well."

"However, Sendak was confident enough to demand me to give him your permission to proceed. I merely denied him that privilege as he already had his chance."

"He may proceed."

That caught Kaecilius' attention.

"Emperor Zarkon, I..."

"I trained him and he has his mission. He fights in the name of Galra. Only success or death will stop him."

Kaecilius felt angry at this, but knew better than to question his Emperor.

"As you wish. Vrepit Sa."

With that, Kaecilius vanished from the palace as Zarkon turned to the Witch.

"I sense something amiss in Kaecilius."

"Indeed. He's so rooted in his ambitions, he may very well be our rival yet."

"What have you and your Druids come up with to capture Voltron?"

"I have been working on perfecting something. Something that will strike fear into the hearts of any that stand against it. The Voltrons may have surprised Kaecilius, but they will not be able to overcome my creation."

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny was getting a book to read about the Altean language when she noticed the Paladins on the couch.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

Lance felt it was painstakingly obvious.

"What do you think?"

"I dunno. That's why I was askin'."

Just then, Allura, Babak, and Coran came from behind her.

"Are we at full power on condenser number five yet?"

Babak answered Allura's query.

"Regrettably, it's a constant 84 percent."

Just then, she noticed the Paladins on the couch, assuming it meant one thing.

"You did it! You formed Voltron!"

Jenny heard that and grew proud of them before she spoke.

"Really? You guys did it already?"

However, Keith put her worrying to rest.

"No. The shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in."

While Allura grew angry, Jenny grew confused.

"What?"

"You just walked in? Didn't you have to form it first?"

Babak pointed out to Jenny about the identity of who made this possible.

"You can thank Coran for that. I told him it wasn't necessary to test the fire suppressors, but he insisted anyway."

"Oh, right. Sorry, princess."

Just then, Shiro walked in, stuck on the same problem as Allura.

"What are you guys doing in here? We're not taking a break."

"Shiro's right. You should be training."

Jenny pointed out the fact that seemed to go unnoticed while Hunk found it taxing.

"Uh, what about me? I mean, someone's gotta be ready for when we get the White Lion. Besides, all the text in here makes no sense."

"We've been training. When are we going back to Earth?"

Pidge, however, wanted to set his goal straight.

"I'm not going back until I find my family. If Jenny could find hers, so would I."

Jenny agreed with him.

"You keep doing you, my man."

Then, as she and Pidge did a fist bump, Shiro made his point clear.

"Guys, there won't be an Earth if we don't figure out how to fight Kaecilius, let alone Zarkon."

Lance only saw the one drawback to it.

"How are we going to fight? We can't even figure out how to form Voltron."

Babak knew that would explain it.

"That's to be expected. You know, the original Paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side by side, as one. Yet, you only fought one battle and you're already bickering."

"Wow. Yeah, that's definitely not us."

While Babak grew furious at Lance's complacency, Coran spoke up.

"During the last attack, your survival instincts forced you to work as a team, but that will only get you so far. You'll have to become a real team to have any chance of forming Voltron and then beating Zarkon next time. You should try working out on the training deck."

Keith heard this and felt it was a bit unnecessary and spoke to Babak.

"Hold on. Weren't Sandra and Lapis using it?"

"Of course. But that doesn't mean they won't be your coaches."

Hearing this, the Paladins were surprised.

"What?!"

* * *

At the command center, Haggar walked toward a cell, guarded by the other Druids and walked into it. As she stopped in place, the figure in the shadows spoke to her.

"Why are you here?"

"I think I have the opportunity you've been waiting for. How would you like to get your revenge against the Champion?"

Then, the figure walked toward her, its yellow eyes and gnarled his sharp teeth showing as it smiled.

"I've dreamed of nothing else for a year..."

* * *

At the Castle, as Lapis, Keith, Lance, Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk were on the deck, Sandra spoke through the microphone.

"Alright, guys, listen up. The Paladin Code demands that you put your team members' safety above your own. For example, say a swarm of drones is about to attack. It's up to each one of you to do everything you can to protect the other members of your team."

Suddenly, a swarm of drones swarmed around them as their shields were activated.

"Wait, wait, wait. What's going on?"

When Hunk got his shield, he was surprised.

"Whoa. Did you guys get one of these?"

Shiro made sure everyone was prepared.

"Get ready."

Then, Sandra gave her cue.

"And... now!"

Instantly, the drones began firing away. When Hunk saw this, he ducked down, only for it to hit Pidge on the back, causing a hole to open up under him and made him fall into it.

"You have to protect your teammates or no one will be there to protect you! I'm looking at you, Hunk!"

"Oh, come on!"

Then, Hunk got blasted, causing him to fly up into the air before diving into the hole, leaving Lance, Shiro, Keith, and Lapis left. They got their backs together as they blocked the blasts.

"Time to increase intensity. Prepare yourselves."

Then, the drones began rapidly firing on them, though they were able to repel their fire. As this went on, Lance turned to Keith.

"You keeping up over there, Keith?"

"Just concentrate on keeping me safe."

Lance let the rivalry get the best of him and began getting cocky.

"Me? I own this drill. You're the one who needs to concentrate."

Sandra wasn't in the mood for it.

"Both of you better concentrate and soon! Because your lives _will_ depend on it!"

Suddenly, the drones began to fire under their legs. Lapis saw one pointing at Keith and used herself as a human shield and took the hit, causing Lapis to fall into the hole. Then, Keith, Lance, and Shiro eventually ended up falling into the holes as Sandra placed her hand on her face.

"Okay, let's take five on this for now."

Upon hearing this, Babak and Coran became confused before she explained.

"You know? Take 5? Like a five-minute break?"

Babak was convinced he knew what she meant before realizing he had no idea what a minute was.

"What exactly is a minute? Is it longer than a tick?"

"Ugh. Never mind."

* * *

Later on, Lapis took her turn for training as Lance was in a maze with Keith relaying instructions.

"Okay. From what I can tell, to form Voltron, you must trust in each other. This maze will teach you that trust."

Suddenly, the maze turned invisible.

"Your teammate can see the walls, but you can't. So, pay attention. If you hit a wall, you'll get a slight shock. And it won't be pretty."

Then, Lance put his helmet on and wondered who'd be guiding him.

"Wait. Who's guiding me through?"

"Take two steps forward."

Upon hearing his of all voices, Lance became very suspicious.

"Oh, no. Not Keith. Why can't Jenny be the one on the mic?"

"She's... otherwise engaged."

Hearing this from Lapis, Lance grew worried.

"Engaged?! She's going out with someone else?!"

"No! That's not what I meant! She's reading the Altean language, remember?"

Lance grew relieved to hear that.

"Phew! You know, you could've just said that."

"Noted."

Then, Keith got back to his task.

"Like I said, take two steps forward, turn right, and take three steps that direction."

When Lance turned right, he ended up bumping into a wall, shocking him with a scream.

"You did that on purpose!"

"You're not listening."

"You said, 'turn right.'"

"But, before that, I said, 'take two steps forward.'"

Then, Lance growled before continuing on.

"Two steps—"

However, he only hit another wall, screaming again as he was shocked before he turned to Keith and Lapis.

"We're switching places right now!"

"Actually, I have a better idea. And I think she might be able to help you better, since she's more experienced on Earth's flight patterns."

* * *

This time, Belle was giving instructions on the transmission. Rattled as she was from her experience, she knew how to create team-building exercises.

"You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with his lion."

"No problem. Me and Blue are best buds for life, for real. Oh, and Jenny, too."

"Good. Then you won't have any problem with this exercise. Everyone, put your lions into a nose dive."

Then, the lions began diving to the ground.

"Now, this is an expert-level drill you really shouldn't attempt unless you've been flying for years. So... good luck."

Then, Belle swiped the panel up before pushing the button.

"Activating training helmets!"

Suddenly, the lenses of their helmet turned dark, surprising and scaring them, Lance, most of all.

"Belle, what's happening? I can't see!"

"That's the point! You have to see through your lions' eyes. The goal is to pull up right before you hit the ground. Pull up too early, you're out. Pull up too late, you're out. Just feel what your lion feels, however that works."

However, Hunk couldn't take the suspense.

"Mine feels scared!"

With that, Hunk began pulling away with Belle relaying the results.

"Yellow Lion is out."

Then, Lance and Keith were neck and neck with each other with Lance speaking to him first.

"You still going, Keith?"

"You know it. You?"

"Going? I'm speeding up!"

"Oh, yeah?"

Then, Lance and Keith began going faster towards the ground

"Must be getting close."

"Must be."

"You getting scared?"

"I'm not scared!"

Suddenly, they sped even faster, only to crash into the sandy dunes with the lions' business ends sticking out.

"Red and Blue Lions are out."

Pidge heard that and grew frightened. "What was that noise? Did they crash?"

Pidge couldn't take the suspense and went upwards as Shiro continued down.

"Green Lion is out."

Shiro didn't let that bother him as he closed his own eyes and felt the connection to the lion. Then, at the last moment when he was about to crash, he pulled up, flaring the jet engines in the lion's back to provide leverage. Then he went to look for a landing spot, letting the lion be it's guide as it swerved away from the rocks and craters. This gave Belle cause for celebration.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"Way to go, Shiro! I knew you'd pull through! Everyone else... it's back to the drawing board."

* * *

Back at the Castle, Jenny showed up in the area where the Paladins were using their headsets as a sort of exercise.

"Hi, guys. Whatcha' doing?"

Babak spoke through the microphone to answer her.

"They're learning to meld their minds to form Voltron."

Hearing this, Jenny grew very interested.

"Oh, cool. Maybe I can join in."

With that, Jenny got her headset from the table and sat next to Lance with a smile before Babak spoke up.

"Alright. Now, the most important part of any Paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron. Everything else has to fade away, if only for this very moment."

As Babak explained, Keith pictured the shack he once went to since being booted. Then, Lance had a picture of his family while Jenny thought of herself and Lance sharing the same bed with a small girl in between them. Hunk imagined food while Pidge thought about him and his apparent girlfriend and Shiro thought about his crew.

"This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron. So, relax and open your mind. No walls, no secrets between Paladins. Come on, everyone, clear everything. Now, focus on forming your Lion."

Then, the images turned to the lions designated for each other, with the exception of Jenny, who had a White lion, much to the surprise of Babak, who managed to contain it in his voice as he went on.

"Yes. Now, bring your lions together and form Voltron."

As the lions drew closer, Pidge was still having the image flicker in his head.

"Good, now keep focusing. One more to go..."

However, Keith saw Pidge's struggle and grew annoyed with it.

"Pidge, stop thinking of your girlfriend!"

Pidge snapped like a twig easily.

"I wasn't! Hunk was rooting around in my head!"

"I thought that we were open. You can look in my head hole."

"I guess not even mind melding can keep us safe from you, Hunk."

As Jenny giggled at her statement, Hunk grew confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Of course they're safe! Everyone has the responsibility to respect their secrets, but there shouldn't be any! Clear your minds!"

Then, the lions went back together with Babak continuing on.

"Yes. Now form Voltron."

As the legs and arms went in place, the White Lion went on the chest of it and caused it to glow transcendently before it began to transform independently, separate from Voltron itself as a mirror image of itself only in white stood by its counterpart as Babak laughed with joy.

"Ha-ha, yes!"

However, that wasn't to last as Pidge's image popped up in place of the lion, causing Lance to snap.

"Pidge!"

However, Pidge was just as frustrated, if not more, as he slammed the headset to the floor in a fit.

"I'm done with this! Look, I don't want everyone grubbing around in my head!"

Seeing the stress Pidge was venting off, Jenny became concerned as she spoke.

"Whoa, Pidge. You okay?"

"I'm just... I'm just tired, okay?"

Jenny understood what he meant by that, considering his luck on finding his family and nodded.

"Okay. I get it."

Shiro felt a temporary break was in order.

"Let's take a break."

* * *

Later, Babak was providing refreshments to the Paladins.

"Perhaps you have been working harder than you should've been. Maybe it's time to get some well-earned rest."

However, when she walked in, Allura would strongly disagree.

"Really, Babak? You call yourself a soldier?"

"Yes. I do."

"Then what are they doing lying around? I can understand Jenny, considering her lion isn't present, but they're supposed to be training!"

"With all due respect, your highness, you can't push a cadet too hard."

"What do you mean, 'can't push too hard?'"

"Exactly that. If you push a cadet too far too fast, you'll end up breaking him rather than molding him."

"It doesn't matter! Not with Zarkon around! Get up, you lazy lumps! It's time you faced the gladiator!"

Keith smiled at this part at least as he knew Lapis was versed in coaching them.

"Something tells me Lapis has something to do with it."

* * *

At the training deck, Keith, Lapis, Shiro, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk go face to face with the gladiator as Babak coached them.

"In order to defeat the gladiator, all Paladins must learn to fight as one. Commence training sequence level one."

Then, the drone responded to Babak's suggestion and began running towards Hunk, who shot at him, only hitting Keith's shield in the process. Then, the gladiator tripped Hunk and electrocuted him before Pidge advanced towards it and clashed it with his bayard, only for it to counter and knock Pidge back with a shock. Then, Lance shot at the drone, only for it to knock his sharpshooter away and hit him on the head before swinging it to Keith, who blocked it before the drone hit Lance on the head again. After which, he hit Lance in the stomach and twirled him around until he tossed Lance at Keith, knocking them both down and leaving only Lapis and Shiro. As the drone charged at Shiro, his memory stopped him from thinking of any action to take, leaving him open to the drone's attack. However, at the last moment, Keith saved him and tried to snap him out of it.

"Shiro, are you okay?"

Suddenly, the drone began to trip Keith, only for Lapis to block it and knock his staff away before slicing upwards, causing the drone to disintegrate. Allura was bittersweet at this moment.

"Congratulations on what you should be able to do anyway. That combat simulator was set at a level for an Altean child! Half of you aren't even close to working as a team, let alone ready to face Zarkon!"

Lapis heard this fact and pondered on what it meant.

"So, Altean children do their own fights, too?"

"Well, yes, apparently."

Lapis smiled at her, knowing they have something fun to pass the time. Well, fun in her opinion, anyway.

"Cool."

* * *

At dinner time, Pidge, Keith, Lapis, Lance, Jenny, Sandra, Hunk and Shiro were at the table with Coran as their waiter.

"Ahoy young Paladins! I've whipped up a big batch of focusing food. After this meal, you'll be forming Voltron six times a movement and twice on the astral conflux!"

Jenny understood that and translated it.

"I take it that's Altean for 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Shiro was getting ready to eat as she translated.

"Smells great, Coran. Thanks."

As they all reached for their utensils, Coran immediately got out a remote and linked their wrist collars together like magnets, to the surprise of the Paladins as Lance and Jenny grew curious before Coran explained.

"Hold the phone!"

"Not that I mind being linked to Lance, but what's going on here?"

"I saw a lot of solid individual performances today, but you're still struggling to work as a team. So, welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day."

Lance shook his fist in anger, causing Jenny to move closer to him as she blushed madly at this. Hunk tried to move his left hand away from Shiro's right hand, only for it to be pulled back, immediately causing him to think he'd gone insane.

"Coran, I want you to think about what you're doing."

Sandra tried to move her hand away, but instead, got it pulled toward Jenny's.

"So, what's the point of this?"

"This one's a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmors!"

Hearing this, Jenny beamed like a Cheshire Cat while everyone else glared at each other with the exception of Lance smiling at Jenny and Shiro, who had a look of exhaustion on his face.

* * *

Back at Zarkon's command center, Myzax was placed inside a metal coffin as it was placed in front of Haggar as Zarkon and Kaecilius watched. As Haggar thruster her hands at Myzax, he felt in overpowering essence as he yelled out and the Quintessence is placed in a giant robeast with one cat-slit eye and a right arm with no hand. After seeing this, Kaecilius questioned his Emperor.

"What's that?"

"That is a robeast. Made from our resources and filled by that being's Quintessence. Isn't it grand?"

Seeing the monstrosity, Kaecilius smirked as he had an idea forming around his head.

"You have no idea..."

Back at the castle, Hunk tried to eat his food, only for the spoon to hit him as Sandra accidentally knocked him.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Hunk."

When Hunk tried to eat his food, he instead bit Sandra's fingers, causing her to yelp as she also flipped the food away. As for Lance and Jenny, they were focusing on each other as they tried to feed each other food. As Jenny tried to place her food in his mouth, she ended up dragging Sandra to her while Lance dragged Lapis over to her as he tried to do the same for her. When he tried to get another scoop for her, he noticed Lapis' hand on his food as she apologized.

"Sorry."

Lance, however, saw that as bad luck.

"Oh, nice. You defiled my food goo."

Keith didn't hesitate to stand up for her as Jenny tried to change his mind.

"Uh, Lance. It's just an accident. It's not like—"

"It's your fault! This is ridiculous."

As they argued, Jenny and Lapis looked to each other and shrugged as they laughed nervously while Allura was fuming.

"Do Earthlings ever stop complaining?"

Shiro tried to reason with her again.

"Can't you just give us a break? Everyone's been working really hard today."

Keith let his impulse get the best of him and snapped.

"Yeah! We're not some prisoners for you to toy with, like... like..."

Lapis had an idea on what he meant and blurted it out.

"Expendable soldiers?"

"Yes! Thank you, Lapis!"

"Uh, his words, not mine!"

Babak only retaliated with a shout as he glared at them, only to hear Pidge's insult.

"You do not yell at the Princess!"

"Oh, the princess of what?"

Hearing that remark was enough to know where it's going and Lapis tried to stop it.

"Pidge, shush."

"We're the only ones out here and she's no princess of ours!"

"And you've done it now."

Then, Allura flicked the goop at Pidge, hitting him in the face before Keith took charge.

"Go loose, Pidge!"

Then, to Lapis' horror, her body moved as Keith chucked the plate at Allura, only to be saved by Coran as he deflected it and chucked his ladle full of goo at all of the Paladins. Hunk shook his head to clear the goo off of him before he spoke.

"Oh, it's on now."

Hunk took his plate of goo and spat it out at them, covering them in goo. Jenny saw this as a bonding opportunity and took advantage of shouting out the following words.

"Food fight!"

Then, Keith got pelted in goo while being a shield for Lapis. Then, Allura and Coran took cover as the Paladins retaliated. Next, Keith and Lapis (who was willing to chuck her food for once) chucked it at Allura, only for Coran to get hit in the process. Next, Lance and Jenny got hit before Sandra fired her goo from her spork while Hunk spat it out. When the food fight was over, Allura sat down on the chair as she sighed. Then, Jenny spoke up and brought everyone up to date on what they've just done.

"Guys, do you know what we just did? We just worked together! For reals!"

"Hey, she's right."

"I actually don't hate you right now."

"You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If I say yes, can you not steal my secrets?"

"Hey!"

Sandra giggled before Shiro answered.

"Let's go form Voltron!"

"Yeah!"

"Actually, I was thinking dessert. But, yeah! Let's do it!"

Then, everyone tumbled back onto the floor as Jenny giggled next to Lance.

"Whoo!"

* * *

Later, the paladins went to their lions as their eyes flared on with Shiro checking on Pidge, Lance, Keith, and Hunk.

"Everyone ready to do this?"

"Roger that!"

"It's on!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I was born ready!"

"Then let's go!"

"Yeah!"

Then, as they flew outside the castle, where Allura, Babak, Belle, Coran, Jenny, Lapis, and Sandra watched, they combined their lions into Voltron.

"Whoa. That is amazing."

Allura smiled with pride as Voltron stood in front of them.

"I told you I could get them to do it. They just needed a common enemy."

"It's true. Like the old proverb says, 'a man can be driven to anything if a beautiful woman is just really, really mean to him.'"

Hearing this, Allura pouted before Jenny spoke up.

"Uh, quick question. While we were melding our minds, the White Lion I had transformed into another Voltron instead of just linking up. What does that mean?"

Allura turned to Babak and nodded to him before he turned to Jenny.

"Listen, Jennifer. The White Lion is the antithesis to the Violet Lion, as well as its counterpart. So this process is to be expected."

"Whoa... so, where can we find it?"

"Regrettably, the answer itself is a mystery even to us. But, if I had a guess, it would be... in Oriande."

Then, Jenny remembered that word before she had a flashback.

* * *

 _As little kids, Jenny and Belle were sitting in their grandfather's lap as he regaled a tale to them while they watched the night sky._

" _Take a good look at the sky, children. Somewhere out there in the far expanse of the universe lies the rest of the lions that shall form_ _Voltron_ _. But_ _Voltron_ _wasn't the only being forged. There were two more lions. One known as the Violet Lion, and the other, the White Lion. The Violet Lion is currently unknown to be found, but legend has it that during the time of evacuation, the White Lion was called back to Oriande, in which the source of its powers which helped create it exists, lying in wait for a Paladin with radiant light and a strong sense of balance known as Divine Justice."_

 _Hearing this, Jenny became interested as she spoke while Belle looked to the two in longing as if she sensed the importance of his words of wisdom._

" _What is Divine Justice, Grandpop?"_

" _Well, Jennifer, I'm glad you asked. To understand its importance, one must truly understand Justice in general. For it is not a sword eradicating evil, but a scale keeping good and evil in balance."_

" _How does that work?"_

" _One can succumb to evil but reject that darkness and rediscover the light with new understanding. Justice makes that journey possible. Evil informs good, and that is why even we must extend mercy towards our foes, for it is instrumental to Divine Justice."_

* * *

After the flashback, Jenny was brought back to reality.

"Oriande... It feels so familiar to me. That, and... Divine Justice."

"Must be a case of Deja Vu. Beyond that, I can't understand how you feel familiar with it, or what Divine Justice has anything to do with it."

"I think I do. My Grandpop Smythe made sure of that..."

* * *

Back at the Castle, the Paladins were celebrating their success, the first being Lance.

"Man, that was cool! I'm so charged up, I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight."

Keith had a lot of work that made him feel otherwise.

"Not me. When my head hits the pillow, I'm going to be lights out."

"I just want you to know that I realized when we were in Voltron, we're brothers, man."

Then, Hunk squeezed Lance and Keith in his hug.

"You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. Brothers all the way. I love you guys."

"G-forces mess with your head a little bit?"

"Yeah. I don't know. Maybe a little. It's been a tough few days."

Then, the others went to bed as Pidge remained on the couch, catching Shiro's notice.

"Going to bed, Pidge?"

"In a minute."

"Good work today. We're really coming together."

As they walked away, Pidge's smile faded as he got out a picture with the same image from earlier. Then, Sandra's voice got his attention.

"That's not your girlfriend, is it?"

Hearing that, Pidge got surprised and staggered back.

"How did you know that?!"

"For starters, your height. I knew you reminded me of someone when you went with Jenny and her crew."

Seeing that the jig is up, Pidge had no choice but to confess.

"Okay. I have something to tell you."

"Don't bother. I've already known since you set foot in the garrison again. And don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. Oh, and... if you need any help, just call."

With that, Sandra walked to her quarters with Pidge smiling at her.

"She's so cool."

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, Kaecilius, Zarkon, and Hagar watched as the robes at is sent to its coordinates.

"What is the point of sending the beast when we could've sent him as is?"

"This beast will allow us to destroy the paladins. And then, Voltron will be ours."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then you shall lead Sendak's mission on Arus."

Hearing this from his emperor, Kaecilius already began forming a dark idea in his head.

"Allow me a moment to consider this proposal. I must prepare myself."

Then, Kaecilius walked away from Zarkon.

As he did, he descended into the lower vaults of the command center, walking toward a normal Galra-shaped armor with two sharp eyes unglowing, indicating of its emptiness and shouted to his Druids.

"Gods of the new dawn, give unto me a servant with the same body and fighting power as the Lost Knight, Zaltron!"

Then, the Druids fired their quintessence at Kaecilius, who simultaneously fired his own at the armor until the druids were finished. With that, Kaecilius took deep breaths as he stood up before laughing.

"Now I'm ready. I have the offensive power of Zaltron to eliminate all mortals! At last, I have the means to carry out Divine Justice."

Then, the armor's eyes flared purple before speaking.

"I will fight anyone who stands in my way."


	4. Return of the Gladiator

**Chapter 3:** Return of the Gladiator

At Zarkon's command center, Haggar and the Druids were sending their Quintessence towards a black and purple ball. Beneath it was Zarkon, who was given the Quintessence and powered up by it, given his dark armor a bright color red. As he opened his eyes, Haggar gave a report after surveying Myzax's travels.

"Sire, the beast is almost to Arus."

"This Quintessence gives me so much power, I could fight the Paladins myself."

"There is no need. My creature will destroy them and capture the Voltron lions for you. Then, the most powerful weapon in the universe will be ours."

Then, Kaecilius spoke up.

"There's a line between confidence and arrogance, Haggar. Guess which end you're standing on?"

"I'd tell you the same, Kaecilius."

"If Voltron is as mighty as you suspect, it's only natural that Myzax be slain dead. This is the way with the Galra, is it not? I wonder if the prisoner will understand that?"

Haggar thought she knew who he was talking about.

"You mean the Champion? You told me before he is a lost cause."

"He is. And always will be. I was merely speaking of one who bears our blood: Lapis."

* * *

At Arus, the team felt like they were getting close to perfection as Shiro congratulated them.

"Great job training today, guys. We're really getting the hang of Voltron."

As they walked, Lance, Keith, Lapis, and Jenny were catching up on their events.

"Seriously, how far do you think my lion kicked that broken alien ship?"

"At least a quarter around the world!"

Keith, however, did not share Jenny's enthusiasm.

"Yeah. That'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a soccer match."

"They can do that?"

Lapis chuckled at Jenny's imagination.

"No, Jenny. Keith's trying to say it's not all that useful."

"You sure? Maybe they won't challenge us to a soccer match, but we should still be able to kick whatever they toss back at 'em!"

Hearing Jenny make her point, Lance felt vindicated, only for Keith to rain on his parade before Jenny pulled out the umbrella again.

"See? Jenny thinks it's cool."

"Your kick ruined our balance. We fell."

"That's what practice is for, isn't it? To get better?"

Belle saw the whole scene and broke it up.

"Okay, you guys. Save your energy for fighting Zarkon. Trust me, you _will_ need it."

Just then, Babak and Coran came in with the latter holding a dish in a metal lid.

"Hello, all. How was your practice?"

Shiro felt they were making good progress to answer.

"We're getting there. Are you guys done fixing the Castle so we can leave this planet? I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus."

Babak could agree with him.

"You and me both. But, not to worry. We're nearly done in our repairs."

"In the meantime, to get your minds off those duck seats you're worried about, I made you guys an authentic Paladin lunch!"

Jenny thought it was about time as her stomach grumbled.

"Oh, good! Because I'm starving!"

When Coran lifted the lid, he revealed a sort of alien sponge with green, blubbery tentacles, causing everyone to groan in disgust (except Shiro, Lapis, Belle, and Jenny). Hunk wasn't exactly thrilled.

"Coran, you just got me hooked up on that goo and now you're switching it up?"

Coran gave his reason for this.

"This is packed with nutrients."

Belle was worried about the meaning of nutrients, still being new to Altean customs.

"And what exactly does it mean where you come from?"

Then, Jenny scooped a bit of it and smelled it, retching as she did not like the way it smelled.

"Yuck! It smells like diesel and skunk stank on a dead pigeon."

"I know! That's how you know it's healthy!"

Then, Jenny covered her nose as she took a bite and swallowed it, expecting the worst. But instead, she found herself enjoying the flavor.

"Huh. It's... actually not that bad. It tastes way better than how it smells."

As Jenny chowed down, the others looked on in disgust while Hunk made a demand for change.

"Coran, we're on a planet now with fresh herbs, spices, and whatever this thing is. A tuber?"

Babak analyzed the item Hunk held and knew what it was.

"Actually, it's an Arusian vegetable."

"Perfect. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to the kitchen to spice things up."

Hearing this, Belle laughed a bit to herself.

"Good one."

"And I didn't even have to make a joke."

As Hunk walked to the kitchen, Shiro wondered where Pidge was.

"Where's Pidge?"

Belle wondered the same thing about a certain someone's sister.

"And for that matter, where's Sandy?"

Coran didn't see any reason to worry.

"They're probably checking on those prisoners we rescued from Zarkon. They'll all be waking soon in the infirmary."

Jenny turned to Shiro and tried to convince him to eat.

"You should really try this, man. It's really good for you."

Shiro, still not convinced, decided to give an honest answer.

"No. Just... no."

As Shiro walked away, Jenny just shrugged.

"Eh, your loss."

Then, Belle spoke up next, not willing to eat the goop in front of her.

"I'll go check on them, too. It... was kinda my fault they were in that position."

Coran saw that as an excuse to cut out of lunch, but knew that part was true as well.

"Alright, but you better come back when you're done, you hear?"

Belle shuddered at the thought of having to try Coran's dish as she walked with Shiro.

"You don't know what you're missing!"

* * *

At the sleep chamber, Pidge was tapping his foot in anticipation as Sandra leaned against the wall when Belle and Shiro came in with the latter speaking to Pidge.

"You're as anxious as us."

"These aliens we saved know something about my family. They have to!"

Belle could easily tel lhow stresed she was as she spoke to Pidge while sitting beside him before Sandra spoke pragmatically.

"I hope so."

"Me too, but how are we gonna know this isn't some wild goose chase?"

Pidge had an idea to convince Sandra that they would know it's not.

"They recognized Shiro, didn't they? They called him 'Champion.' What does that mean?"

As much as she'd like to remember, Belle found difficulty due to her brainwashed experience. The same could be said for Shiro as he spoke up before her.

"I don't know. I don't remember much from that time."

"I wish I knew. That time with Kaecilius brainwashing me did a number on my memory."

"But the way those guys looked at me when we freed them... I don't know if I want to find out."

"Well, at least you didn't end up mind controlled."

Just then, a pod opened up, signaling its completion as the prisoner drew his breath. To his horror, he saw Belle beside him. He initially staggered back as she tried to explain.

"No, wait. It's okay. I won't hurt you. Not this time."

"Then what do you want?"

"This isn't just about what I want. It's what they want."

Belle motioned to the two Paladins before speaking to him again.

"First off, why do you call Shiro 'Champion?'"

* * *

At the kitchen, Hunk made some finishing touches on the lunch and smiled at his handiwork while Lance chuckled with glee. Immediately, Lance, Keith, and Lapis chowed down on the modified lunch, much to the chagrin of Jenny, Babak, and Coran just as Allura walked in.

"They like the Paladin lunch."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I do. I liked it before it was cool."

As Jenny chewed on her lunch, Allura gave the report.

"I just got the final nebulous booster working. We should be able to leave Planet Arus tomorrow and take the fight to Zarkon."

Just then, an alarm beeped, causing everyone to be frightened at first until Allura swiped her arm to reveal the Castle's security systems have picked up an odd, small creature with ram horns. Seeing this, Keith and Jenny got confused.

"What is that?"

"That's the weirdest goat I've ever seen."

Babak had a different theory from Jenny's belief.

"That's no goat, whatever it is. It's a local Arusian. The Castle must've frightened him."

Hunk didn't believe so.

"Then why is he pedaling toward the Castle?"

As the Arusian in question ran to a rock and stopped before looking around, Lance felt caution was premature while Keith felt it best to prepare.

"Doesn't look too dangerous."

"You never know."

As Keith got his bayard ready, Allura felt it unwise.

"No. Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them."

Babak didn't want to waste time, however.

"But, princess, you are aware we have a tight schedule, don't you?"

"I know, but we owe them this much for housing us there."

As they went outside, the Paladins grew anxious to meet the Arusian with Hunk, Jenny, and Lance stating their desire to meet him.

"So adorable!"

"I know! I could just eat him up!"

"Hey, maybe we can knit him a little sweater!"

As Keith and Lapis remained in the room, Lapis held his hand.

"You know, things are different on Arus than on Earth."

"Exactly. I'm not taking any chances."

Then, Keith and Lapis picked up the pace and caught up with them.

* * *

Outside, the Arusian scrambled when the Castle doors opened and took cover in a bush. However, the cover didn't work.

"Greetings. We know you're there. No harm will come to you."

The Arusian jumped out of the bush and grunted as it got its weapon ready. Despite this, Hunk found it adorable.

"Aw!"

However, Keith wasn't quite convinced.

"Wait! He could be dangerous."

"How could this little guy be dangerous?"

As Jenny rubbed under his chin, the Arusian quickly got irritated and poked her in the chest with its weapon.

"Ouch! Not much for tickling, are ya?"

"See? Drop your weapon!"

"No one takes Klaizap's weapon!"

Lapis hears the name and grew curious.

"Klaizap?"

"Keith, put that away! Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies."

Then, Klaizap noticed Jenny and thought twice about her this time.

"I'm sorry for striking you. Our kind just doesn't like to be tickled down there."

"Okay. Apology accepted. So, who are you again?"

"I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers."

Coran and Jenny grew curious while Babak had a notion about what Klaizap was talking about.

"Followers?"

"Lion Goddess?"

"Who exactly is this 'Lion Goddess' you speak of?"

Then, Klaizap pointed to a stone carving showing a humanoid lion giving wisdom and guidance to the Arusians.

"The one the ancients spoke of."

Allura smiled as she asked.

"What makes you think she's angered?"

"Destruction is everywhere. In the past few suns, fire and darkness has rained from the heavens and two giants have danced in the sky."

Hearing this, Jenny knew what he was talking about.

"Oh, that. Well, you didn't actually make her mad."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I am Jennifer Shaybon. My friends call me Jenny. This is Allura and this is our Castle."

Then, Klaizap gasped as he looked at Allura and Jenny and knew that it could only mean one thing, as far as his species could predict.

"Lion Goddess! And her princess!"

Then, he bowed to Jenny, much to Lance's astonishment.

"Wow. He's going cuckoo for you guys, Jen."

"Yeah. I got that. Anyway, Klaizap, can you please take us to your village? I'd like to get to know all of you."

Babak, however, felt pressed for time and didn't want to waste another moment, not even to socialize.

"What about getting the Castle ready to face Zarkon? This seems like a waste of time."

"Don't forget, Babak. Part of the Paladins' Mission is to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks."

Then, Babak exaggerated his moan before reluctantly agreeing.

"Fine. But if Zarkon gets here, it's on your head."

Jenny pouted at Babak in response for saying it to Allura.

"Oh, lighten up, grumpy."

* * *

At the sleep chamber, the prisoners woke up and were offered refreshments to recuperate. Pidge wanted to know something from the prisoner.

"So, how long were you held captive by Zarkon?"

"Some for years. Decades, maybe. It's hard to tell. Time becomes a blur."

"Then you must have been there when my dad and brother arrived. Sam and Matt Holt?"

"I never knew their names, but I certainly remember the other three Earthlings that arrived with Champion. One of them was enslaved by Kaecilius, as you know."

Belle didn't need to be reminded of that.

"All too well. But why do you call Shiro 'Champion?' What does that mean?"

"You really don't remember?"

When Belle shook her head, the prisoner found it appalling.

"Unbelievable! Champion was a legendary gladiator, undefeated in the ring. He defeated an infamous Galra gladiator known as Myzax. That was the day he earned the name 'Champion.' I was there, as was the young Earthling and and your Galran friend."

* * *

 _As the prisoner explained, Zarkon, Kaecilius, Haggar, and Kren watched as Myzax swung his mace around, the dark purple orb following his swings. Then, Lapis, Shiro, and Matt were mortified as the Galra drone stepped up. Then, Shiro took the weapon from the drone and attacked Matt viciously as Kaecilius watched._

"We were all prisoners, forced to fight for the entertainment of Zarkon, despite Kaecilius' insistence for another candidate to take their place. That day, we were set to fight Myzax, a vile beast many thought could never be defeated. Slaughter awaited us all. This 'Matt' was the first of us sent to fight. But fate had other plans. He was so thirsty for blood, he injured his fellow Earthling."

* * *

Hearing this, Belle covered her mouth in shock while Sandra raised her head in surprise as Pidge immediately showed disbelief.

"You attacked my brother? Why?"

Shiro was getting scared as well, considering it was totally out of character.

"No, it can't be true."

"You've gotta be kidding about that right? Shiro would never do that."

"I was there. We all were."

Disbelieving in such a cruel act that would be done by her closest friend, Belle tried to back him up.

"There's got to be more to this. Like a reason he did what he did?"

"The only thing of notice that comes to mind was how he demanded blood outright."

Unfortunately, Belle couldn't bear to hear any more if this and refused to accept it as she throttled him.

"No! That's not true! Don't you dare lie to me!"

Shiro saw her panic and tried to calm her down alongside Sandra.

"Belle, stop."

"Take it easy."

Belle saw what she was doing and set him down as Pidge asked the prisoner.

"After my brother was injured, where was he taken?"

"I know not."

Given such a negative answer, Belle was beginning to lose faith as she slumped on the seating.

"Then, how are we supposed to know what really happened? I'm obviously no help."

Then, Shiro remembered the Galra Ship they were captive in, giving Pidge an idea as Belle's hopes were lifted up again.

"Wait. That ship we were held captive on crash-landed on this planet. They'll have logs of prisoners, some information."

"Of course. With any luck, we could find out what happened to them."

"I'm coming with you guys."

As they took off, Belle turned back to the prisoner she throttled before and felt sorry for him.

"Listen, whoever you are, I'm sorry for throttling you. I'm just... scared that it might be true."

"I know. And for brevity's sake, you can call me 'Xi.'"

Then, Belle smiled at him, knowing that he doesn't fear her anymore.

"Okay. See you later, Xi."

At that moment, Belle looked to Sandra before she spoke.

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

"Nah. I'm staying here t look after these guys. Tell Pidge to be careful for me, okay?"

"Sure. You got it."

* * *

Back at the village, the villagers were quite taken with the Paladins as Hunk held rocks for them while Coran held one of them as if she was his daughter. Then, the King of the Arusians spoke to Allura and Jenny.

"Oh, Lion Goddess, Lion Princess. I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."

"Wait. The traditional Dance of what?"

Then, to answer, Jenny's query, the king clapped his hands before a villager ran before Allura and Jenny, and prepared to dance in their honor.

"Commence Dance of Apology! Hoorah!"

Then, as the King bowed, the Arusians cheered and played the drums as the villager wobbled her body. Jenny felt embarrassed and didn't want to see any more.

"Uh, this is actually a bit much. Can you dial it back a bit?"

"Moontow, halt!"

Then, Moontow stopped where she stood, literally, as the King spoke.

"The Princess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire. We must throw ourselves in."

That instantly caused Jenny to panic as she saw the Arusians on a stick over a fireplace, making it all the easier for her to take it back. "No, no, no, no, no, no! Don't do that! That's not necessary."

"So, we may proceed with the dance?"

Jenny blushed before she answered.

"Yeah."

Then, the king clapped before the dance could continue. At the end of the dance, Moontow bowed, as did all the others. Jenny felt immediate pressure and just wanted it to stop. And she knew Allura wasn't the only one.

"Guys, come on. You can stand up. I appreciate what you're doing, but I don't really deserve this. It's our fault for getting you in this mess. We're the ones who should be sorry."

"But if you're not the Lion Princess, then who are you?"

"I'm Jenny Shaybon. And I'm part of the Voltron Paladins. Allura here is a Princess herself. She's no more Lion Goddess than anyone here. That said, can you take over from here?"

Allura smiled as she agreed on her behalf.

"Of course. Although we originally came from different worlds, and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."

"But the robotic angels, have they not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?"

"Voltron? No. In fact, those mighty robots are here to protect you. Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!"

Then, the Arusians cheered as they swarmed around the Paladins. As for Keith, an Arusian jumped up and hugged him, much to Lapis' surprise.

"Huh?"

"I don't usually hug strangers, but, uh..."

Then, as he petted the Arusian, Lapis smiled at this.

"Man, you are cuddly."

"Thank you."

Then, Lapis laughed at Keith for cuddling a male Arusian, causing him to blush.

* * *

At the Galra Ship, Shiro, Belle, and Pidge were sneaking inside the ship until they got to the panel as Pidge spoke up.

"This looks like the master control board, but there's no power."

Then, Shiro and Belle had an idea as the former spoke to him first.

"All you need is power?"

"Yeah, but one that's compatible with Galra tech."

"Well, we've got you covered."

Then, Belle and Shiro activated their robot arms and used them to power up the main control board, making Pidge impressed.

"Whoa. I can't believe you got this to work."

Then, Pidge opened a menu as he spoke.

"My dad's and Matt's whereabouts must be logged in here somewhere."

Then, Pidge proceeded to download them.

"Once I download this information, I'll find some way to decipher it back at the castle."

At that moment, Belle decided to go the extra mile just to be safe.

"I can speed the download up for you."

With that, Belle altered the board in favor of the download speed for the information just as they heard clattering.

"What?"

Much to their surprise, there was one Galra left on the ship that was still alive despite the crash-landing, but he was unconscious as Shiro spoke up before Pidge.

"A Galra is still here?"

"What do you think we should do?"

After looking at her arm, remembering the Galra's role in its creation, Belle had an idea on what to do while Pidge disagreed.

"It'd be handy to see what he knows."

"There's no point. Everything we need to know is right here."

Then, they heard rumbling outside and saw a giant ship headed toward them. Shiro and Belle widened their eyes before they responded.

"Oh, no."

"This is bad."

Pidge wanted to know what was going on.

"What is it?"

Shiro answered Pidge while Belle felt the need to evacuate.

"Something just entered the atmosphere."

"I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's big, it's Galra, and it's headed right at us. We've gotta go before it flattens us into pancakes."

As Belle tried to remove their arms, Pidge stopped her.

"Belle, don't move! We're so close to getting the answers. I'm not going anywhere."

Given their situation, Belle grunted as she saw the ship then back at the download, which thankfully was 90% done. Then, in a second, it was finished.

"Okay, it's good."

With that, Pidge, Belle, and Shiro made a break for it, but remembered the unconscious Galra. Instinctively, Belle ran to grab him and immediately bolted out of there with Shiro and Pidge. As they flew, with the Paladins using their jet packs while Belle held onto him while Pidge held on the Galra, much to her surprise, Shiro called out to them.

"Huh? Belle!"

"Sorry, Pidge. Not taking any chances."

"Team, come in! We need backup!"

At the village, Allura and the others were listening to Shiro's voice.

"Hello?"

Jenny was the first to respond.

"Shiro?"

"Where is everyone?"

"I'm here. What's going on?"

As if to answer, the ground shook, scaring the Arusians. Then, they saw a giant ship about to crash-land on Arus, making Allura worried as Keith spoke up on what to do.

"Oh, no."

"We gotta get to our lions!"

As the Arusians ran, Allura, Jenny, and Babak were crowd control as the first two spoke up.

"Everyone get inside and stay down!"

"Yeah, and stand single file, please!"

Hunk joined in the crowd in an attempt to stay away.

"I'm on it!"

Babak, however, grabbed Hunk's collar and tossed him out.

"Not you. You're the Paladin of Voltron, remember?"

Hunk whimpered as Babak stated this fact.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro, Belle, and Pidge, along with their hitchhiker, took off away from the ship as Pidge took a look through the contents.

"Looks like we've got everything!"

Belle felt this was too close to call, considering what could've happened.

"Good, because I refuse to be smashed into a pancake."

As they flew off, the giant ship crashed and caused an inferno. As Shiro, Belle, Pidge, and the unconscious Galra flew off, the Black and Green Lions ere able to salvage them and provided themselves as shields. When the explosion was over, the lions stood up as the Paladins looked upwards. Belle was confused by what had occurred.

"Okay, can someone tell me what just happened?"

"Our lions just saved us."

"Did they? I didn't know they could do that."

Suddenly, the giant ship that landed disassembled itself and turned the red beacon on as Myzax awoke and stood up before he scanned Shiro and the others with his robotic eye before he spoke to Pidge.

"Get in your lion!"

Then, Myzax summoned his energy ball and tossed it with a thrust as Shiro, the Galra, Belle, and Pidge got into their lions and were able to avoid it successfully. However, Myzax thrusted his arm back, causing the ball to swerve and hit a mountain. As he swerved it toward Pidge, the Green Lion fired a blue light at it, only for it to dissipate in a puff of smoke and hit Pidge with a groan as the Green Lion fell. As Pidge looked up, he saw Myzax beginning to attack again when Shiro countered him. However, he was able to get Shiro off of him and toss him to the ground. Before he could attempt to strike again, Myzax was suddenly interrupted by multiple blasts from Keith and Lapis in their Red and Violet Lions as the former spoke to her, Lance, and Hunk.

"Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!"

"Got it!"

"I'm on it!"

"Right!"

With that, the Blue Lion joined in on the attacks, infuriating Myzax as Hunk darted at him.

"Check this out! Battle-lion head-butt!"

With that, Myzax was hit in the back by the Yellow Lion and fell to the ground before Keith checked on Shiro.

"You guys okay down there?"

"Still alive for now."

Then, Myzax stood up with a sinister chuckle, causing Lapis to recognize him from her time as prisoner.

"Myzax. What happened to you?"

As Lapis didn't receive an answer from the robeast, Hunk had an idea about who summoned him there before Lapis confirmed it.

"So, the Galra are behind this?"

"I think so, but I've never seen anything like it."

Lance tried to come up with a plan against Myzax.

"So, what's the plan? Shoot at it with everything we've got? Take out its weapon? Call it names?"

Jenny, however, knew there's more to this monster than the Galra cruisers as she spoke through the communicator, to which Shiro agreed on.

"This isn't gonna cut it this time, Lance. From where I'm standing, it might as well be a super tank compared to those cruisers."

"Jenny's right. If we want to take this monster down, there's only one way to do it. Form Voltron!"

Then, the lions roared as they formed together into Voltron while the Violet Lion became the Violet Voltron. As Myzax growled, Shiro gave them an instruction.

"Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal."

In preparation for their advance, Myzax summoned a dark energy ball in his right hand. Then, Myzax swung the ball at Voltron, who evaded it before it proceeded to attack with a punch, which Myzax blocked. In retaliation, Pidge mobilized to punch Myzax with an uppercut before he staggered back and blocked their overhead assault. Then, Myzax swerved the ball into Voltron's back, colliding him into the ground. Then, he swung it up and down toward Voltron, who scrambled away from it as Lance and Hunk grew surprised.

"I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!"

"Yeah, so how is this monster kicking our butts?"

As the ball began to go towards Voltron again, Lapis used her Violet Voltron to block it and shoved it upwards. Myzax took the opportunity to attack both Voltrons as he smashed his fist into them and knocked them all the way to Gazrel Hill, where the villagers were hiding as Keith grew worried before Lance piped up.

"Oh, no. The villagers."

"We've got to protect these guys!"

As the Arusians, along with Allura, Babak, and Coran, were hiding in the caves, Voltron was knocked back to the village, only to use its jets to hover away from it.

"That was close!"

With that, the Voltrons flew away from Myzax, who snarled at them as he turned. Pidge pointed to the group about one other problem to take care of.

"We got him away from the Arusians, but we can't take him down!"

Then, Lance came up with an idea, remembering how Jenny supported it.

"I got it! I'm going to power-kick that orb!"

"No! The last time we did a kick, we fell!"

"What else can we do? Besides, with Violet here, it'll be a piece of cake."

Considering this, Shiro felt it might have potential in their situation.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Lapis, I need you kick back when I say so."

Lapis wasn't sure about that any more than Keith was.

"A-Are you sure? I never tried that maneuver."

"Just kick the ball when I say. That's all you need to do."

As Lapis nodded, Myzax thrusted the orb at them as Jenny got the Blue Lion ready. Then, when it came in range, Voltron kicked the ball toward the Violet Voltron as Shiro shouted.

"Now!"

In response, the Violet Voltron acted on instinct and kicked it back at Myzax, who took the full brunt of the attack and toppled backwards. Having been hit, but not out for the count, Myzax stood up as the ball returned to him as Lapis spoke.

"Well, that didn't work. Every time we focus on that orb, Myzax blindsides us, and every time we focus on him, the orb hits us. How did you ever defeat that thing the first time?"

Shiro gazed at Myzax as if remembering him and knew he was familiar.

"I know how to beat him!"

Belle was getting impatient at the moment.

"Then do you mind telling us?!"

Myzax darted at Voltron and swung his fist as he yelled, only for Voltron to get out of the way.

"Listen, there's a loud sound when the orb returns to the base of the weapon, and every third time, the orb needs to charge up. That's Myzax's weakest point. That's when we strike."

Hunk thought it was under-explained.

"Okay, so what do we do in the meantime?"

Lapis shouted to the Paladins as Myzax attacked again.

"Look out!"

In response, the Violet Voltron summoned a shield and blocked Myzax's volley as she spoke to Shiro.

"I'll hold it back while you guys take him on when he's charging!"

"This won't be easy, Lapis."

"Good. I wasn't expecting easy."

Then, Myzax proceeded to swing again, hitting her shield, causing her to shake a bit.

"Okay, that's two. One more!"

As it barely stood ground, the Violet Voltron took the hit and maintained its shield for a moment before it got disabled while the Violet Voltron went down on its knees with Lapis taking her breath from the exhaustion of holding it back as Myzax called it back and charged it as Shiro saw the opportunity.

"Now!"

Then, Voltron fired a laser at Myzax, sending him back a bit before an explosion occurred. However, Myzax remained where he was before Pidge and Lance spoke.

"It didn't work!"

"So now what?"

Then, Voltron got sent back by the orb swung at them, making Lapis worried as Shiro remembered a crucial detail while he grunted.

"Guys!"

"When I attacked him before, I had a sword!"

Then, Hunk acted like an alarm to signal the others.

"Orb! Orb!"

Suddenly, Myzax's orb collided with Voltron before Pidge gave out their likelihood of surviving.

"We can't take another shot like that!"

Suddenly, Keith felt the Red Lion talking to him as a panel opened up revealing a bayard-shaped keyhole as he spoke up to them while Lance felt the need to instill urgency.

"Wait a second, guys! I think my lion's telling me what to do."

"Well, whatever it is, hurry up and do it! He's about to fire his third shot!"

However, Myzax swung it at Voltron knocking him away, much to Lapis' worry.

"No!"

Then, Myzax mobilized toward him as Keith tried to stand up in the cockpit as it spoke in a somewhat mechanical voice blended with his original.

"And now, the Champion... DIES!"

Then, Myzax leaped to finish Voltron, only for Keith to yell as he thrusted the bay are into the keyhole and allowed Voltron to summon a sword and defeat Myzax with a single slice, causing him to fall to his knees before exploding. After which, Voltron swiftly made a pose with the sword in victory as Lance and Hunk spoke up.

"Yeah! We did it!"

"How did you do that?"

As Keith removed the bayard, he stated his surprise and gratefulness.

"Whoa. Thanks, Red."

* * *

Back at Zarkon's command center, Hagar grew frustrated, having feared that Kaecilius' words have rung true.

"NO! I'll make another, more powerful."

However, Zarkon seemed to have anticipated this as well as he spoke to her.

"That won't be necessary. Kaecilius has mobilized himself and his own Robeast toward Arus. I've given him instructions to Sendak for how to proceed."

"Can he be trusted?"

"Of course not. But he has shown examples of true strength, time and time again. Somehow, I find myself... entertained to have him as my rival."

* * *

Back on Arus, under the cover of darkness, Sendak and Haxxus were overseeing the shipment.

"Zarkon has challenged us to rise from the mud and prove our worth. We will not let him down."

"Sir, how are we going to take the Castle with just the four of us and five damaged sentries?"

"By exploiting our enemy's weaknesses."

"What weaknesses?"

"The worst weakness of all; They value the lives of others."

Then, Kaecilius and Zaltron stepped forward.

"Interesting suggestion. But, for one of our Paladins, it will ultimately be her undoing."

* * *

At the Castle, the Paladins were seeing the prisoners off with Lance, Jenny, and Sandra speaking to Xi.

"Good luck out there."

"Yeah. I hope you all get to your homes safe and sound."

"And preferably not captured by Zarkon again, I hope."

"Thank you all for everything. We never dreamed we'd see our families again. But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope."

* * *

Later, outside, Lapis, Belle, Sandra, and Shiro were walking towards Pidge on the balcony.

"Pidge, there you are."

"Hmm?"

Lapis decided to level with him before Sandra spoke up next.

"Sandy told us about what happened to your brother."

"You okay?"

"Just fine, Sandy."

Then, he turned to Shiro, still in disbelief over what happened, as far as Xi knew back then.

"Why would you hurt my brother? You were friends."

"I did it to save him."

"What?"

"It's true. I should know, because I was there, too. If you remember, that is."

"My memory of the event came back when we were fighting Myzax."

* * *

 _Back at the gladiatorial stage, Kaecilius glared daggers at Shiro as they awaited their omen that is Myzax as Shiro explained._

"Your dad was being sent off with the weaker prisoners to a work camp. Meanwhile, Matt and I were forced to fight in the gladiator arena. Matt was going to fight first, but he was scared. We all were."

" _I'm not going to make it. I'll never see my family again!"_

 _As Matt trembled, Shiro and Lapis comforted him as they spoke._

" _You can do this."_

" _We'll figure a way out somehow."_

 _Then, Matt gasped as the drone emerged and pointed his sword at Matt, only for Shiro to act enraged and snatched the sword from the drone, catching Kaecilius' attention and angering him._

" _This is my fight!"_

 _Acting on false bloodlust, Shiro slashed it at Matt, injuring him just as Kaecilius teleported. Then, Shiro jumped into Matt, locking his arms in place with his hands as he shouted._

" _I want blood!"_

" _Enough, filthy animal!"_

 _Unable to bear any tolerance on his antics, Kaecillius shocked Shiro with his dark lightning, forcing him off of Matt._

" _If you desire blood that badly, perhaps you'll be Myzax's victim instead. May you die a thousand deaths, mortal."_

 _Then, Kaecilius teleported back to the throne and Lapis ran over to Shiro as Matt backed away with the former speaking to him._

" _Shiro! Are you okay?"_

 _As an answer, Shiro only turned to Matt and spoke._

" _Take care of your father."_

 _Then, the drone carried Shiro away into the arena._

* * *

"You saved him? You attacked him so they would choose you instead."

Then, Pidge teared up before hugging Shiro while the mice climbed on his shoulder to do the same.

"I'm so sorry I doubted you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Then, Shiro hugged Pidge back as he spoke up.

"I can tell you really miss them. I know they miss you, too. Your brother and father would be proud of you, Katie."

Hearing this, Pidge widened her eyes in surprise as she looked up.

"Sandy? You told him?"

"Actually, he figured that out on his own."

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with us."

As they watched the sunset, Pidge brought up a question concerning their findings.

"So, what did you guys find on that data?"

Then, Lapis remembered her findings based on what Pidge and Belle were able to download.

"Oh, right. Strange enough, there weren't any findings on Matt or your father. That'd be strange enough on its own, but then there's this."

Lapis pulled up a video file from Kaecilius.

" _This is Kaecilius. Log date: 5-15-13. Today, everything I've expected mortals to be has been proven true. For I saw it with my own eyes. A mortal seeking blood and attacking his own comrade. That, in turn, has led to a much deeper truth. The Galra are alike in that aspect, but we simply let it purify is, strip us of weakness. Alas, these humans can be easily corrupted by it. All mortals are. From this action, I've gained a deeper understanding, wisdom. The realization that all mortals not of Galra origin should be destroyed. But I mustn't act on it just yet. Once Voltron is removed, my plans for achieving true justice shall be made manifest: a truly just and peaceful utopian existence. And it'll begin the way this wretched era will end: the absolute sword of The Lost Knight."_

Seeing that footage, Shiro tried to decipher the meaning while Sandra poked fun at him.

"Wow. I guess he has it out for everyone. Everyone in the whole universe..."

"Well, talk about a boring one. I'm not so sure I'd like that one bit."

Confused on that prospect, Lapis felt it to ring as ominous as she spoke about his project.

"But... who is this Lost Knight, though? That's the real mystery."

Shiro only stood up as he gazed at the sunset while he spoke.

"I don't know. But whoever or whatever it is, we'll have to be ready."


	5. Return of The Lost Knight

**Chapter 4:** Return of the Lost Knight

The following night, the Arusians moved in the castle for a party and conducted a ceremony. The Arusian King was narrating the battle with Myzax.

"The monster fell from the sky! It was an epic battle, but the Voltron Team was victorious!"

A stack of Arusians consisting of two tossed an empty beverage at the other stack consisting of five, causing them to topple to the stairway. The Arusian King saw the scene and was displeased.

"No. I said, "the Voltron Team was victorious!"

Then, the stack that fell rose up while the other stack fell down. Then, the Arusians cheered in glory before Allura spoke up.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for that wonderful production. It saddens me that we must leave tomorrow, but we must continue our battle with Zarkon and spread peace throughout the universe."

Then, she turned to the king before speaking as she held her hands out to him.

"Your Highness, please accept this gift. This will allow you to contact us anytime you need help. Arus will be the first planet in the Voltron Alliance."

Then, the Arusian King held it to the air as if it was a badge and shouted.

"Hoorah!"

Amidst the crowd, Jenny, Keith, Lance, Belle, and Hunk saw the scene.

"I have a good feeling about those little guys."

"We ought to get something like that."

"Like what?"

"You know, like, a cheer. Like, a team cheer that we do."

Belle only scoffed at this.

"What are we, a bunch of cheerleaders?"

However, Lance was thinking of an idea.

"Mm-Hmm. Yeah, okay. How about, uh... 'I say Vol' and you say 'Tron.' Vol!"

Jenny recognized her cue and took it.

"Tron!"

"Vol!

"Tron!"

However, Keith ended up confused.

"Uh, it's Voltron, isn't it?"

Jenny and Lance turned to him.

"You really don't know what a cheer is?"

"The cheer includes the instructions. I say 'Vol' and you say..."

"'Tron.'"

"Yeah. What she said."

Keith thought he understood, but ended up confused again.

"Voltron?"

"Still not getting it, huh?"

"We'll work on it."

Then, Lance took a drink and instantly cringed as he turned purple before swallowing and turning to Coran. As for Jenny, she ended up getting sick and spat it back in the cup.

"I've been poisoned!"

"Coran, What is this?"

"Oh, this is Nunvill, the nectar of the gods."

Jenny and Lance didn't feel that way, having tasted them to begin with.

"More like the business end of them."

"Yeah, it tastes like hot dog water and feet."

"Yeah, it makes a wonderful hair tonic as well."

As he walked away, Jenny got a realization.

"Wait. We weren't supposed to eat this from the beginning?! Okay, now I _am_ sick!"

Both Jenny and Lance covered their mouths to prevent each other from upchucking as Babak checked with Shiro.

"Are you just as anxious as I am?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure we should be letting everyone wander in and out of the castle like this. It doesn't seem safe."

"I agree. After that battle, who knows where Varek and his officers went. Besides, the Arusians in here are making a mess."

To prove this, the Arusians were flying on a Saucer before crashing into a wall, spilling the food.

"I rest my case."

"Right. Where's Lapis?"

"She's trying to find out what she can from that Galra hitchhiker with Sandra. Personally, I'm surprised Lapis was up to it, considering what she'd gone through."

"Okay. I'm going to do a perimeter check with Belle, just in case."

"Very well. Carry on."

* * *

At the pods, Lapis and Sandra were keeping their eye on the hitchhiker back when Myzax attacked. He was sipping his beverage soothingly before responding.

"It seems I owe my compliments to the chef."

"As nice as it is, you can keep your compliments to yourself. That's not what we're here for. Either you give us straight answers or we leave you out on the desert with what's left of that Robeast."

Then, the Galra set it down on the floor before speaking again.

"I trust you want to know what exactly the Empire is working on."

"Of course. It'd be helpful to know your name, too."

"To use it against me in court? I'd rather take my chances with Kaecilius."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Hearing this question, the Galra pricked his ears before replying.

"Fine. If you insist. I am Azix of the Blade of Marmora."

That made Lapis shocked, whole Sandra displayed confusion.

"What?"

"The Blade of Marmora... My dad was one of them. He revolted against Zarkon and his Empire."

"That's right. Your father was in fact one of the founding members of the Blade of Marmora, the best there ever was. But, after he was struck down, we were forced to scatter. Then, we began..."

"Uh, hate to break up the history lesson, but what was the Empire working on?"

"Of course. Well, Quintessence is the source of life and power, we've all known that much. But Kaecilius has discovered that it can be altered to suit one's purpose. This particular Quintessence was of a forbidden element."

Lapis knew what it was.

"Dark Quintessence."

"Yes. It was the Quintessence left over from Daibazaal's annihilation. Kaecilius, Haggar, and Zarkon are examples of those who fully wield it. The Druids, however, were only the students. Yet, they've learned to use it as a sort of medicine for their fallen comrades, in spite of Zarkon's apathy towards his soldiers. The first exposure is always toxic. But given proper management, it could also restore a being. Along with its healing and hypnotic abilities, it is said to be capable of another feat: to raise the dead. Recently, Kaecilius has done so to one of our fallen members. And I'm afraid you won't like to know whom."

"I think I do."

"Trust me, you'll be shattered with ache."

Lapis snapped at him.

"Trust you? Trust you?! The last time I trusted you, I was left in that prison for 20 years! On top of that, you've had 10,000 of them to stop him, and you spent all of it hiding! Why should I trust you?!"

Azix only looked down in sorrow and shame.

"At the time, I thought it was the best option. But since you've discovered the Violet Lion... I realized we've made a terrible mistake."

"The understatement of the year."

Azix took a deep breath before finally heeding her request.

"Alright. The one Kaecilius restored... was your father, Zaltron."

Hearing this, Lapis put her hands over her mouth as she began to shed tears. Sandra rushed over to comfort her and glared at Azix.

"Why didn't you do anything, then?"

"If my position ended up compromised, I wouldn't have been alive to tell you the tale."

"You shouldn't have been. Come on, Lapis. It's over."

With that, Lapis and Sandra walked out as Azix watched from afar before sighing in grief.

* * *

Outside, Kaecilius, Haxxus, Sendak, Varek, Zarix, and Vaxel were in the bushes.

"Commander Sendak, the sentries are in position around the Arusian village."

"Luck is on our side. Look, the Castle defenses are down. The door is wide open."

Kaecilius and his officers, starting with Vaxel, grew just as eager.

"As is the door for opportunity. But we mustn't wait any longer, or it'll close on us."

"Agreed. With the locals traveling in and out, I doubt it'll be difficult for you to infiltrate."

"I may not have to. Look."

Then, they saw a Galra Drone floating by Pidge's side, much to Zarix's confusion and Varek's anger before Haxxus spoke to Sendak and Kaecilius.

"That human actually repurposed that drone?"

"That human child will pay in blood for this."

"If I can just get close enough to clone its signature code, I can send our Bomb drone in undetected."

"I knew you would not disappoint me, Haxxus."

"But, of course, the true test remains. We must destroy the Paladins of Voltron and take all six of those lions back."

* * *

On the balcony, Allura watched over the crowd, including the Paladins.

"Look at them, the new Paladins of Voltron. The fate of the universe is on their shoulders."

Then, she watched as Keith spat the Nunvill on Hunk's eyes, causing him to exclaim before turning to show that his eyes were now lollipops. However, he turned out to be pranking them as Keith and the Arusians laughed.

"I must portray strength, so no one can tell how concerned I am about the fate of our mission."

In response, a mouse on her shoulder squeaked before Allura turned to him as her eyes darted to her left.

"Let's keep that a secret."

Then, the mouse squeaked before hopping down.

"Who else has secrets?"

Then, one mouse caused the other to have chubby cheeks.

"Hunk tried to eat what?"

Then, she laughed before speaking onward.

"That is rather amusing. What other secrets?"

Then, one of the mice ruffled his fur and used his tail like a sword before he knelt to the floor and acted as if it was praising someone.

"He really cares about Jenny? Well, I can see why."

Then, one mouse pretended to be Keith while the other pretended to be Lapis and looked at their tails as if examining them.

"They're trying to learn more about their weapons? Hmm. That is curious. What else?"

Then, that same mouse acted pretty as it blinked its eyes and blush red cheeks.

"Pidge is a what?"

Hearing this, Allura checked on Pidge in disbelief as she took the treats and stuffed them in a bag before he used one of the sticks from the treats as if it was a Q-Tip and cleaned out her ear and smelled it before groaning in disgust.

"Are you sure?"

The mouse nodded its head in response.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance and Jenny were recovering from their Nunvill.

"Wow. To think I actually thought it was something you'd drink."

"Well, I guess we should get used to it. Who knows when we'll get back home again?"

Hunk had doubts about that personally.

"Yeah, if ever."

Hearing his doubts, Jenny looked up to him in confusion.

"Whattaya talkin' 'bout?"

"I mean, if this Zarkon guy has been ruling for 10,000 years, how long do you think it'll take for us to fix it? You know, if we live."

"Right. That."

Then, Jenny noticed Lance looking down on the dumps and tried to find out why.

"Hey, you okay?"

Lance responded in a deadpan voice.

"Yeah. Just fine."

"Hey, what do you think the chances are of us landing on a nacho planet?"

"Well, there's only one planet with Veradera Beach, pizza shack looking over the water and the garlic knots and my mom's hugs..."

Remembering these precious moments made him tear up a bit before he took off.

"I'm sorry. I think this Nunvill is getting to me. I gotta go."

Then, as soon as he took off and cried lightly with Coran noticing, Jenny 'dropped' the cup she held.

"Uh-oh. I think it got to me, too. I'll go with Lance."

As Jenny followed Lance, Allura talked with Pidge.

"So, Pidge, we haven't had a chance to really talk. Tell me about yourself."

"Hmm... Well, I like peanut butter, and I like peanut butter cookies, but I hate peanuts. They're so dry. Also, I sweat a lot. I mean, in general, unrelated to the peanuts."

Babak overheard this and wanted to join in.

"Ahem! I couldn't help but hear the two of you talk. Mind if I join in?"

"Not now, Babak."

Hearing this from Allura, Babak grew disappointed.

"Very well, then."

Then, Babak walked away before hiding behind the staircase.

"Was Babak a ladies-man back in his day?"

"Well, of course. But it was a long time ago. Anyway, I was thinking of something a little more personal."

She then winked at Pidge before speaking again.

"We have a lot in common."

"Like what?"

Allura was caught off guard before she spoke again.

"Oh, well, both of us had our fathers taken away by Zarkon."

"Yeah, but I'm getting mine back."

Hearing this, Allura gasped in sadness before Pidge apologized.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to—"

"No, I understand. I just want you to know that you can confide in me. If there's anything you ever want to talk about... Anything."

Allura waited for an answer before Pidge spoke.

"Hmm? Okay, I do have something to tell you."

"I had a feeling. What is it?"

Allura braced herself for the news, but didn't quite get the one she was looking for.

"I'm leaving Team Voltron."

Allura grew shocked at this.

"Wait, what?"

"Lapis and I decrypted the information from the Galra ship about where my family might be, or at least where they were. I've made up my mind. I'm leaving tonight."

"Pidge, you can't. You're one of the six Paladins. You have a sacred trust to defend the universe."

As Allura spoke, she grabbed Pidge's arm. However, Pidge pulled it away from her.

"My first priority is to find my family! I thought you of all people would understand. If you had a chance to get your father back, wouldn't you?"

Then, Allura gasped once again before Pidge apologized.

"I'm sorry. I should go tell everyone else."

Then, Pidge walked out of the castle just as Shiro caught up with Belle outside.

"So. It's, uh, pretty empty out."

"Yeah."

Then, the two of them blushed before she spoke.

"Hey, Shiro?"

"Hmm?"

"If I'm being honest, I've, ahem... got a crush on you."

Hearing this, Shiro began to blush as well.

"Well. That's, uh, good to know."

Just then, Pidge walked up to them.

"Guys? I need to talk to you."

As Pidge walked up to them, Haxxus hid in plain sight as he copied the drone's code with his gun.

"Signature code cloned."

Then, after Shiro, Belle, and Pidge walked into the castle, Haxxus pasted the code onto the bomb drone, causing it to mimic the color.

"Bomb activated."

Then, the drone went into the castle toward the main hangar.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Lance sat in the main hangar, Jenny arrived and sat by him.

"Hey. Mind if I use your lap?"

"Sure. But wouldn't you rather use a pillow?"

"This is fine."

Then, Jenny laid her head on Lance's lap.

"Hey. You remember? Last year when sis went missing, I was just like this?"

Lance smiled as she cradled her hair.

"Yeah."

"I was so crushed that you didn't stop pestering me to come over to your house until I agreed. You were willing to go through all of that trouble just to make me happy. It was more than I deserved."

 _Then, Jenny and Lance walked into his cabin and was welcomed by his family and got into the middle of a dart war, to which she joined in. Later on, Jenny and Lance were in the same bed with his cousin, Nadia, in between them snuggling._

" _I got to hang out with your family and have fun with you guys. And most importantly, you were there for me. Well, you and_ your _sis._ It was the best night I've ever had."

"Yeah. It really was, huh? Except it wasn't my sister; it was my cousin."

"Oops. My mistake. Anyway, you told me something that day. That if I ever need to get my head straight, I'd come to you. Always. I want you to tell me what's with you. I just can't stand seeing you like this. That's all."

Then, Lance and Jenny heard Coran step in.

"Mind If I join you?"

"No. It's okay."

"How far away from Earth do you think we are, guys?"

"Let's take a look."

Then, Coran walked toward the panel and opened up the star map then he scrolled over from Earth to Arus.

"Earth is over here. And we're all... the way over..."

"You ever notice how far the planets are from each other, Coran?"

"Yes. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Yeah, but I mean, like, they're really, really far away. Like, say, Earth. It's so far, I can't even see it. The... The blue oceans, the white clouds, green grass... I... I-I can't see any of it."

Coran and Jenny figured out what he meant by it.

"We get it. You miss Earth. I do, too."

"I understand. I miss Altea."

"I know we're supposed to be brave Paladins and Defenders of the Universe or whatever, but, honestly, I just want to go home."

"If I could go home, I would."

Then, Jenny placed her hand on his as she laid her head on his lap.

"I know what you mean. Ever since we've left, I really wanted to go back. I get excited for Space a lot more than I should be, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten where I was born."

"Wow. You must be really strong to hold it in."

"Me? I'm not strong. No way."

"You kidding me? Ever since we landed on Arus, you've been fighting the Galra like it was second nature for you. On top of that, you were always so happy. How can you be smiling all the time?"

"Well, most of the time, I was faking it."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"It's like, I thought I had to act cheerful because I never wanted anyone around me to feel sorry for me."

"Wow. Mind blown. And that was kinda clichéd, too."

"Heh. Yeah. Truth is, I've always missed rain and splashing in puddles. All that jazz, you know?"

"Yeah. Me, too."

"Rain?"

Jenny offered to explain the concept to Coran.

"It's when water falls from the sky. Sometimes, it causes lightning to appear. We call that a thunderstorm."

"Oh, we had that on Altea. Only it wasn't water, more like rocks. Razor-sharp and boiling-hot. Oh, they could knock a hole right in your head."

"Sounds fun."

Jenny felt it to be out of the ordinary, yet interesting at the same time as she made a quip.

"Yep. That weather really sounds like it 'rocked.' Hehe. Get it?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Lapis and Sandra were at the hall trying to make sense of what Azix had told them.

"Why? Why would Kaecilius revive my father, only to put him under his control?"

"I'd say the strength and skill he has under his disposal. Between him and Sendak, how much more could he need?"

"It's not funny, Sandra. This is serious."

"I wasn't being funny. I was being methodical."

Lapis only leaned on the wall as she grunted. However, in doing so, she spotted the drone floating towards the main hangar. Then, as it floated by them, Lapis and Sandra got suspicious.

"Where's Rover going? Isn't it always with Pidge?"

"We better follow it. Something tells me this isn't the same Rover we know."

* * *

At the halls, Allura, Babak, Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Belle, and Hunk were going over Pidge's plan to leave. As expected, it didn't sit well for any of its members as Shiro and Belle spoke up.

"Pidge, no."

"Why?"

"The download from the Galra ship was enough to at least get me in the right direction to start my search. I have a pod all ready to go."

No doubt Keith was frustrated, but none more so than Babak.

"You can't leave."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"Oh, can't I? If you leave, Voltron can't be forged!"

"So? That's what the Violet Voltron's for, isn't it?"

"That's not the point! The point is without them, we can't defend the universe against Kaecilius, let alone Zarkon. You're not the only one with a family. All these Arusians have families. Everyone in the universe has families."

Then, Hunk butted in his rebuttal.

"Yeah, I have a family. They live on Earth. I want to be with them. Is-is that, like, a thing that can happen?"

Allura grew concerned about this.

"You want to leave, too?"

"Of course I do! Look, Voltron is super-cool, don't get me wrong, but I never signed up for a lifetime in space, fighting aliens."

"None of us did. But we have to take the hand that's been dealt to us."

After Belle spoke with Hunk, making him a bit homesick, she turned to Keith to see how he felt.

"What about you, Keith? Do you want to leave?"

Being asked this, Keith was lost in thought, mostly from his worry over what would happen to Earth if they did leave.

"Honestly, I don't know what to say about it."

Babak, however, begged to differ.

"I do! You're putting the lives of two people over the lives of everyone else in the entire universe! Compared to the stars, they amount to nothing!"

Allura and Shiro felt he was taking it too far.

"Babak, stop!"

"And why should I?"

"Because that's not how a team works. People have to want to be a part of it. They can't be forced."

Babak scoffed at Shiro's Words of Wisdom.

"Is this really the time for another lecture, Shiro?"

"We'll discuss this later."

Ignoring Babak's aggressiveness, Shiro turned back to Pidge.

"If you want to leave, we won't try to stop you. But, please, just think about what you're doing."

However, Pidge was still adamant on his decision.

"I'm sorry. You're going to have to find someone else to pilot the Green Lion."

As Pidge walked away, Belle ran to her and grabbed her hand.

"Wait. I'm going with you."

That surprised Pidge as well as everyone else.

"What?"

"Belle... why?"

"Jenny would've wanted to go with you. It wouldn't be right if you go out there alone."

Then, Keith stepped up next, followed by Hunk.

"I'll go, too. I lost my family before. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"I'm in, too. Who knows? Maybe we'll find them by the next month that way."

Then, it came down to Shiro as all looked to him.

"I'll go, too. They were a part of my crew. And if I've learned one thing, it's that it's the crew we're fighting for."

Seeing how quickly agreed to it, Belle smiled as she looked to Pidge.

"You see, Pidge? None of us ever forgot about your family. We'll find them together. As Team Voltron. No exceptions. Besides, Jenny told me your father would be pretty amazed to have a crew of your own."

Pidge began to tear up before hugging Belle.

"Thank you, guys. So much."

As Belle returned the hug, Allura smiled at their willingness to work together while Babak grew angry at the meaninglessness of it all.

"Pfft! You really want to waste your time?! Fine! Just fine!"

"Don't you see, Babak? They're willing to do it together. Why isn't that good enough for you?"

"It's good enough when Kaecilius' head is on a platter."

With that, Babak stormed off as Hunk gave his thoughts about Babak.

"Wow. And I thought Keith was the edgy one."

* * *

Back at the far halls, Lapis and Sandra were sneaking behind the disguised Bomb Drone. When it entered the main hangar, Jenny, Lance, and Coran were walking out of it as the drone came in.

"Hey, Rover."

Then, the drone went up to where the crystal is, making Lance and Jenny suspicious.

"Wait. Where's Pidge?"

"Hold on. That's not... Oh, no."

Just as the drone flared red, Sandra spoke up.

"Don't let it get the crystal!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Jenny snapped out of her stupor in time to use her chain blade to impale the drone, causing it to leak a purple light substance as the blade returned to the bayard, shutting it down in the process as Jenny sighed while Coran became surprised.

"Phew!"

"Now what's a counterfeit drone doing here?"

Sandra explained her curiosity as well.

"I don't know. But I doubt it means anything good."

Suddenly, the drone turned itself on again and resumed countdown, much to Jenny's annoyance.

"Second wind?! Come on!"

This time, there wasn't any time left to disarm it. So, Jenny did the next best thing she could think of. She ran toward Coran and Lance and acted as a human shield for them while shoving them away.

"Guys, look out!"

Then, the drone exploded, engulfing them in a purple light as it caused the entire castle to shake. After the tremor, the team decided to look into this as Hunk spoke up before Allura and Shiro.

"What was that?"

"It sounded like it came from the hangar."

"Let's move!"

At the main hangar, there was dust. As it cleared away, Lapis, Sandra, Coran, Jenny, and Lance were on the floor. When they looked up, they saw a barrier around them as well as Jenny's marks glowing.

"What the—?"

"Whoa. Are you doing this?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

Then, as the barrier disappeared, along with her marks' glow, Jenny felt heavy and her arms gave out before Lance grabbed her and cradled her in her arms.

"It's okay. I got you."

Jenny moaned before she spoke.

"It's weird. I feel so weak all of a sudden."

Lapis knew the answer as the drone, or what was left of it, leaked a glowing purple substance.

"Dark Quintessence. That was a Quintessential Bomb."

"But that'd mean—"

Sure enough, when Coran looked up, he noticed the crystal still intact, but there was a taint of Dark Quintessence on it.

"Oh, no."

And it seemed to be spreading as Jenny groaned louder, making Lance worried as Coran explained.

"What's happening?"

"The Dark Quintessence is overtaking the crystal's life force and forcing it to assimilate its own. As for Jenny, it's having a diverse effect on her. If we don't cure her and soon..."

As Jenny groaned, two purple light scars appeared over her eyes as it glowed pink. Lance was now getting scared for her as Allura, Babak, and the others arrived.

"What happened?"

Then, as Allura saw the drone's remains and the infected crystal, she was stunted.

"The crystal!"

Then, she and Babak noticed Jenny's condition as she was held by Lance.

"Jenny!"

"Oh, no."

Belle ran over to her and cradled her alongside Lance.

"Come on, Jenny. Jenny!"

Jenny weakly turned to Belle as she replied hoarsely.

"S-Sis..."

Belle turned to Babak and demanded to know what was happening.

"What is it doing to my sister?"

"What Dark Quintessence always does to any being who makes contact: It's poisoning her."

They gasped as Jenny gave a pained yell while her scars extended to her neck.

"We have to get Jenny to the infirmary."

"That won't work. The crystal is being corrupted. For all we know, it could kill her rather than help her."

Lapis knew what to do to fix it and turned to Allura.

"I know someone who can fix this, Allura."

"Are you talking about the Galra hitchhiker? He could've been the one who tipped them off."

"Believe me, I can't stand to see him, either. But if Jenny's got any hope of surviving this, it's with him."

Of course, Allura hated the Galra. But she also couldn't stand to see her friends hurt or worse. At that moment, the Arusian King arrived with a bigger problem.

"Lion warriors, our village is under attack! We need help!"

In an attempt to help, Keith spoke up, only for Allura to remind them of a certain obstacle.

"Let's get to the lions!"

"You can't. With the crystal being corrupted, they'll be sealed in their hangars. There's no way to get them out. We're defenseless."

The Arusian King was beginning to grow desperate.

"Will you not help us?"

"We'll help you. We just..."

Then, Jenny screamed in agony as the scars began reaching her chest, particularly over the two bumps.

"Jenny!"

Then, Lance hugged her tightly in an attempt to soothe her. However, Jenny only sobbed on Lance's shoulder.

"It hurts... so much..."

Hunk felt bad about this situation.

"This is bad."

Sandra decided not to let the situation affect her as she turned to Coran for a solution.

"So, what's the plan?"

"We have to get a new crystal to get the Castle working again. But, to get a new crystal, we need a ship."

Fortunately, as luck would have it, Pidge had an idea.

"The pod I was loading, we can use that! I left the bay door open."

"I can use the scanner on the pod to see if there's a Balmera nearby. Hunk, Sandra, you come with me. I'll need someone big and someone clever to help me carry the crystal."

"A Balmera?"

"It's where the crystals come from. I'll tell you about it on the way!"

As they ran off, Keith and Lance exchanged each others' plans.

"I'll go see what's happening with the Arusian Village."

Lance then stood up with Jenny in his arms before Allura spoke to Keith.

"Yeah, and while you do that, Belle, Babak, Shiro, Lapis, and I will see what we can do to help her."

"I'll go with you, Keith. I brought this on the poor Arusians."

Then, as they took off, Lance stood up and held tightly on Jenny as he flung her over his shoulder.

"This time, it's personal."

* * *

Back at the docking bay, Pidge was with Coran, Sandra, and Hunk.

"It's our first bit of luck. There's a source not too far. We won't need a wormhole to get there, thankfully."

Then, as the map charted a course, Pidge explained the modifications to them.

"I made some modifications to the shuttle. The first change is a cloaking device that I reverse-engineered from the invisible walls on the training deck."

Sandra felt it was a nice touch.

"The element of surprise. Nice."

"The second is a tank of booster fuel that I mounted on the fuel line."

Coran felt especially concerned about that part.

"Using during flight would turn the whole pod into a bomb!"

Hunk whimpered from this as Pidge second guessed herself.

"Okay. Maybe you shouldn't use that modification after all."

With that, Sandra spoke up about the last modification.

"What's that last one?"

"That's actually a sonic pulse emitter. Like an EMP, except it sends out Sonic Waves."

"You never cease to amaze me, Pidge."

"We ready to hit it?"

"Right. Let's go."

With that, the pod activated as its cover closed and took off for flight.

"Good luck."

Then, Sandra and Hunk gave her a thumbs up before they took off to the Balmera.

* * *

At the Castle, Lance carried the groaning Jenny as Belle, Shiro, Lapis, and Babak followed.

"Don't worry, Jen. Help is on the way."

However, at the entrance, they found Sendak, Kaecilius, Zaltron, and the sentries walking toward them. Lapis recognized the armor walking beside them and gasped.

"Dad..."

Upon hearing her words, Babak grew surprised to hear this and turned to Lapis before Zaltron.

"You know him?"

"Of course I do. He was my father. But now, whatever Kaecilius has done, he's nothing but a hollow shell, now."

"Well, I can see the family resemblance."

Then, Shiro and Belle turned to them before speaking.

"Guys, you have to go."

"Find the prisoner and ask him how to help Jenny."

"But what's going to happen to—"

"Go. Now."

Hearing this from Belle, Lapis grunted in frustration before she agreed.

"Alright. Let's go, guys."

With that, Lapis and the others took off, but not before getting one last look at her father. Then, Zaltron spoke to Shiro and Belle.

"I've come for Voltron. Give it to me."

Shiro answered back as they got their individual weapons ready.

"No. You're not getting in."

"Then you will die."

Then, Zaltron got his sword ready before he lunged toward Belle while Sendak lurched his giant hand toward Shiro and grabbed him before pulling him closer to him. As Sendak tried to smash him afterwards, Belle clashed her energy blade with Zaltron's sword. For a while, they held their swords together until Zaltron punched Belle in the chest and prepared to strike with his sword as he turned around. Before he could slash her, though, she was able to block it, only to be sent to where Shiro was as she spoke first.

"Wow. He's pretty tough."

"But we can do better!"

Then, Shiro activated his energy hand again before running towards Sendak and slashing at his gauntlet while Belle tried to move faster than she dared to be. However, Zaltron was able to keep up with it. Just when she was about to slice him downwards, Zaltron caught her blade with his hands as Shiro and Sendak clashed their fists together.

"I see you spent some time with the Druids. They do love to experiment. Too bad you didn't get the latest model."

Then, Sendak launched his hand to push Shiro away. At the same moment, Zaltron tosses Belle toward Shiro, causing the both of them to bump into each other. After rubbing their heads, Belle noticed Sendak's hand approaching.

"Giant hand incoming!"

Then, they got out of the way as Sendak lurched himself closer toward them and tried to chop their necks, only for Shiro to grab him and toss him away just as Zaltron ran toward Belle and tried to slice her downward, only for Belle to repeat his maneuver as she somersaulted backwards and sent him flying. However, he recovered and both opponents charged toward each other and pointed their weapons at each other with Belle and Zaltron's swords at each other's necks while Shiro and Sendak's hands were near their necks, creating a sort of standstill. The three of them breathed heavily while Zaltron made a deep metallic breath. Then, Haxxus spoke up.

"Let him go, or your friend won't make it."

Then, Lapis dropped to the floor on her knees as she looked up to Zaltron, who showed no signs of recognition as he and Sendak slammed Shiro and Belle to the floor beside her. Then, Kaecilius smiled as he walked toward them.

"Using a dead man to capture the Quintessence's most powerful weapon. How ironic. But it matters not. In the end, I shall destroy all, and the plan will be complete."

Then, Pidge witnessed Kaecilius, Zaltron, and Sendak walking to the main hangar.

"Oh, no."

* * *

Back at the castle, Lance and Babak had finally taken Jenny to Azix, much to the latter's surprise.

"There you are."

"What is going on out there?"

"Events that regrettably, at this very moment, require your help."

Babak motioned to Jenny, whose scars have now traveled to her legs. Azix stood flabbergasted before accepting.

"Bring her in immediately."

"Like we need your permission."

Then, Lance set Jenny to lay down on a bed as Azix and Babak got to work, although the latter was using tools.

"Jenny isn't responding. We must run diagnostics on her system— eh, vital statistics. Oh, my tools— they're all wrong!"

"Fortunately, we don't need any tools to remove this Dark Quintessence. If it ever became too much for our men, we have a simple procedure for this sort of thing."

At the village, the Arusians were watching as Vaxel, Varek, and Zarix laid waste to the village. At that moment, Allura and Keith arrived.

"What's happening?"

"Look! Attackers!"

Then, Varek noticed Keith and smiled as the latter lunged at him with a roar, worrying Allura.

"Keith!"

Then, Keith got his sword ready as he and Varek darted at each other. As they fought, Keith jumped above his swing as he swung at his head, slicing his cheek, leaking a purple light substance. As Varek swiped it off his face, he noticed the substance had been leaking from him.

"All right, then."

"You're done, Varek! You hear me?! Done!"

However, Vaxel only laughed at his words.

"You think _I'm_ done? You're wrong, Paladin."

"What?"

Just then, Zarix, and Vaxel joined Varek as he spoke.

"Did you really think we'd have caused this destruction just to fight the Paladins? No. Our mission has been to capture the lions at any cost. Especially if it means taking your castle."

As Varek laughed, Keith tried to warn Allura.

"Oh, no. They tricked us! It was just a diversion to separate us from the Castle defenses!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaecilius noticed the Dark Quintessence had finally taken root in the Balmera.

"Behold, mortals! The Age of Justice!"

Then, the castle flared purple and showed Galra symbols on the monitors before purple light spread throughout the castle.

At the cell, Babak, Lance, Jenny, and Azix noticed the purple lines spreading.

Outside, a dark purple Phoenix hovered above the castle as Keith tried to find out his endgame.

"So, you take over the castle along with whoever's inside. And then what?"

Varek smirked something deadly at Keith.

"Can't you guess? Then I kill you."

Then, the Phoenix shrieked as it fired lightning at Keith, Allura, and the Arusians. As it fired, Vaxel, Varek, and Zarix laughed haughtily before they vanished as their laughters echoed away, leaving only Keith in the fiery field. After it'd stopped, Keith had noticed that Varek and his officers had disappeared. Then, he communicated to Allura.

"We need to get in that castle, now!"

* * *

Meanwhile, due to the phoenix's shriek, Jenny shrieked as the scars glowed brightly, making Lance panicked as he spoke up.

"Well, whatever you gotta do, do it now!"

Then, Azix simply held his hand over her chest as the glow dimmed and morphed into a black orb in his hand, which attracted the dark essence and sealed that inside the orb, allowing Jenny to finally breathe without pain again. Then, Azix placed it inside a container, the black matter turning into a purple glowing substance. As Jenny drifted to sleep, her scars now grey, Lance grew unmistakably scared.

"No. No, no, no! Jenny, don't do this to me!"

"Calm yourself, Paladin. She's not dead, yet, but recovering. It's taken a dire toll on her body. She needs her rest."

Despite this, he didn't hesitate to hug her.

"Jenny. I'm never letting you go again."

As Lance held Jenny tightly, Babak turned to Azix.

"How do you know about this Quintessence?"

"That knowledge has been passed down to us. It stemmed all the way to... to Zaltron."

Then, Babak had an idea and asked Azix something.

"Tell me. Is there a procedure to reverse-engineer the Dark Quintessence to its purest state?"

Hearing what Babak asked, Lance became very confused.

"Wait. I thought you said it was poisonous."

"Under normal circumstances, quite. But if I could reverse-engineer it, it'll help Jenny recover before they can get the ship to take off. And from the looks of things, we'll definitely need it."

* * *

Then, at the hangar, Kaecilius saw the six monitors revealing all of the lions at their bays.

"Perfect. The lions are at their bays. Initiate the particle barrier and commence launch sequence."

Outside, the barrier began to close as Keith and Allura, riding his red hovercraft from when they were entering their lions toward the castle. However, the Phoenix began to fire lightning at them, forcing Keith and Allura to jump into the barrier as the hovercraft slowed up and did a slide to get to the other side just before it closed. After they were successful, they skidded to a stop.

"Phew! Looks like we're in."

"Good. Because if we don't do something and soon, they'll take Voltron to Zarkon!"

At the castle, Varek, Vaxel, and Zarix appeared beside Kaecilius in black mists.

"It's done. But the red paladin and the princess have got in just in time."

"It makes no difference. Once Voltron is delivered to Zarkon, the Paladins and the princess will be made examples of. Make contact with Emperor Zarkon."

Then, Haxxus contacted Zarkon, who smiled at Kaecilius.

"Kaecilius."

"Our mission is complete. We've captured the Altean Castle, along with all six of the lions. We are currently preparing for launch and will be delivering them all to you posthaste."

"This news is most pleasing. You have done your duty. Vrepit Sa!"

"Vrepit Sa! Haxxus, prepare the castle for takeoff."

"Yes, Kaecilius."

Then, Lapis struggled to break free and snapped at Kaecilius.

"You can't do this! You have no right!"

Then, Kaecilius retaliated by electrocuting Lapis until she fell to the floor before he spoke.

"I have every right. You mortals have blighted this universe for too long. Now you must pay the devil his due."

Then, after making sure she wasn't detected, Pidge made contact with Lance and Keith.

"Lance. Guys. Can you hear me?"

"Pidge, is that you?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm inside the Castle. Kaecilius has taken over and he's preparing for launch. He's got Belle, Lapis, and Shiro."

Keith heard that part and grew angry.

"Those monsters..."

"Pidge, listen. If they've started the launch sequence, then we don't have much time before liftoff to stop it."

"What do I have to do?"

"You have to get to get down to the main engine control panel and disconnect the primary turbine from the central energy chamber. If you can do that, Kaecilius will have to reset the whole system. That might give us enough time to meet up with you and find a way to stop them."

With that, Pidge looked at the map and ran toward the door and forced it open.

"Here, Rover."

Then, River followed him and floated above the endless ledges.

"Okay, Rover, here we go."

* * *

Then, Pidge jumped from ledge to ledge while using her jet pack to keep from falling.

At the hangar, Kaecilius spoke to Haxxus.

"Run the main cluster activation sequence."

"Activation sequence initiated. Powering up for launch."

At the main engine, Pidge stumbled upon a big ball of light.

"Okay, Allura, I'm near the turbine. I think it's started."

"Then you'll have to hurry. Cross the catwalk to the main column in the center."

As per her advice, Pidge saw the control panel as she knelt down.

"Okay."

"Now open the hatch. Find the central computer control hub and enter the following sequence."

That's when Pidge stumbled into a conundrum.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Which one is it? All the labels are in Altean!"

* * *

At the hangar, the ship was ready as Haxxus spoke to Kaecilius.

"Kaecilius, we are ready for launch."

"Then launch."

* * *

At the main engine, the turbine began charging up.

"I can't tell which one it is! Allura? Allura?"

In the castle grounds, Allura and Keith were feeling a tremor.

"I've lost connection with Pidge! Oh, no! It's taking off!"

Kaecilius snickered in triumph, unaware of Pidge's potential obstacles as she got her bayard ready.

"Whatever."

Just as she slammed it in the panel, Pidge was knocked back before the orb shrunk.

Then, Haxxus delivered the bad news, angering Kaecilius.

"The main engine just shorted out!"

"What?!"

Then, he walked to the monitor and saw Pidge and Rover running from the main engine. Kaecilius growled before turning to Zaltron.

"We have a saboteur. Find him and destroy him. I want nothing of this pest left alive. Understand?"

"Understood."

Haxxus then found a trace of a signal from within the castle.

"Kaecilius, I've received a transmission generating from somewhere inside."

"Play it back."

Then, Haxxus did just that, playing Allura's voice.

"There's not much time before they get the ship running again. You must shut off the particle barrier so we can get in."

"You got it. Tell me what to do."

"The particle barrier generator is beneath the main hull."

"She's telling the intruder how to take down our defenses."

"Yes. But she's also giving away his location."

"And make sure no harm comes to Jenny."

Kaecilius growled as his suspicions were proven correct. She was the foreign Altean after all.

"So it's true. Zaltron, seek out Jennifer and the paladins, and annihilate them all."

Zaltron bowed to Kaecilius as he took a knee.

"Vrepit Sa."

As he walked out, the drones followed Zaltron out. As they did so, Kaecilius turned to Varek, Vaxel, and Zarix as Sendak turned to Haxxus.

"As for you three, deal with the intruders from outside the castle."

Then, they vanished in black mists before Sendak spoke up.

"Repair the engine. Emperor Zarkon has commanded us to bring him Voltron. This ship will rise before day's end."

* * *

In the cell, Jenny was still unconscious as she recovered from the Dark Quintessence that had previously invaded her body while Babak examined it.

"Hmm. Surprisingly stable."

Lance felt it was unnecessarily labeled as he spoke to Babak.

"Stable? Uh, hello? It almost killed her, remember?"

"Well, this variety was not meant for Alteans to begin with, which is rather unfortunate since our Quintessence reserves are at an all-time low. Our severely outnumbered warriors have been rapidly burning through our stockpile of late as the Galra Empire continues to run us ragged and grind us down. Normal Quintessence is in such short supply in this universe due to Kaecilius' operation, and Zarkon seems to have his scarred claws buried deep in all the planets' surface. But, if we can successfully restore the Quintessence, or even produce a synthetic form, we can manufacture all the Quintessence we'll ever need."

"Honestly, I'm not into that. I just want her back."

Just then, Lance received a transmission from Allura.

"How is Jenny doing?"

"She's fine, but she's still unconscious."

"Alright. Pidge, have you made it to the generator room?"

Meanwhile, Pidge was exploring a room full of purple lightning arcs with Rover.

"I'm in. This technology's so advanced. I don't know if I can figure it out."

"Yes, you can. The lives of your fellow Paladins are at stake. Jenny's life is at stake. You can't give up, especially when she hasn't given up on you."

That gave Pidge a flashback with her family.

* * *

 _Back on Earth, Pidge was eating dinner with her family as Sam spoke to Matt._

" _Hope you enjoy your home-cooked meal, Matt. After our launch to Kerberos tomorrow, we'll be eating freeze-dried peas for the next two months."_

" _Don't lie. I know you love those peas, Dad."_

" _It's true. Those Garrison chefs really know how to genetically manufacture a delicious vegetable."_

 _Katie only sighed at the thought of being left out._

" _I wish I could go with you guys."_

" _Just you wait, kiddo. Something tells me that you're going to have your own crew someday. You're going to fly with them to worlds so far away, we can't even imagine. I bet my bottom dollar you're going to be a part of something that makes the whole universe sit up and take notice."_

* * *

 _At Jenny's house, she and Belle were out on the front porch watching a starry sky._

" _It's really beautiful, isn't it?"_

" _Yeah. It really is, sis. I'm just sad I won't be able to go with you."_

" _Hey, don't worry about it. That's what you're in the Garrison for. Who knows? Maybe by the time I get back, you'll be a copilot in no time."_

 _Jenny smiled at the idea._

" _Yeah. At least this way we'll be together."_

" _There, you see? A silver lining."_

 _Then, Jenny showed a look of worry. Belle took notice of this and rubbed her head._

" _Hey, don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."_

* * *

 _Then it went to the next five months when the news broadcast a terrible incident involving the four members, Shiro, Belle, Sam, and Matt._

" _The Galaxy Garrison mission to the distant moon of Kerberos is missing, and all crew members are believed to be dead. The Galaxy Garrison has said the cause for the crash is a mystery. It is, indeed, a sad day for all humanity."_

 _Then, it showed Jenny at home watching this tragedy and began to cry herself to sleep, thinking about her lost sister. Then, after she cried her heart out, she sat up straight and got to thinking. They said it was a mystery. That was all the more reason she has to look into this, especially if it meant fully joining the Garrison._

* * *

 _The next morning, having become a ranked member by means of coincidental nepotism if not guilt about losing her, Jenny was taking a tour of the facilities when she heard Iverson snapping at someone._

" _Those feeds are classified! I could charge you with treason for hacking into them."_

 _Then, Jenny noticed Katie getting sacked by Iverson as he tossed her out the door._

" _Where's my family?"_

" _Escort Miss Holt off the premises and make sure every guard knows she's never allowed on Garrison property ever again."_

" _You can't keep me out! I'll find the truth! I'll never stop!"_

 _Then, Jenny watched as the guards took her away in confusion before she walked into his office and knocked on his door._

" _Uh, 'scuse me?"_

" _What?!"_

 _Then, he realized he snapped at Jenny Shaybon, little sister of Belle Shaybon, and immediately retracted his anger._

" _Oh. Uh, Jennifer Shaybon, is that right?"_

" _Uh, yeah. What was that about?"_

" _Oh, sorry. It's just that miss Holt has been hacking into classified feeds."_

" _Well, she said she was looking for the truth. What exactly is the truth?"_

 _Iverson took a deep breath before he permitted her inside the room as he spoke._

" _Come inside. I have to show you something."_

 _With that, Jenny stepped forward inside, hoping she'd at least get one step closer to finding her sister. Unbeknownst to the both of them, a girl with raven hair and purple eyes began listening in on them as she looked from the corner._

" _Okay, look. There was no crash. It was a cover-up story to keep the press from peeking over our shoulders. At least, according to Admiral Sanda. On top of that, there's no evidence of it. Almost like it vanished without a trace."_

 _Jenny was half-relieved and half-scared. On one hand they were safe, but on the other, they could be who knows where._

" _Okay. Do you have any theories?"_

" _That's just it. We have no clue, either."_

 _As unfortunate as this was, Jenny didn't see it as a bad thing. Just another obstacle she can jump through. At this point, speculation is the best she could do._

" _Okay. Thank you, sir. I'll let you know if I have any ideas."_

 _As Jenny walked out, she went past the girl who had a look of intrigue over her as the former noticed Katie peeping out of her own corner and went outside with Katie following her as she tried to hide her tracks. Then, once she was outside, she called Katie out._

" _Okay. I know you were hiding."_

 _Katie grew surprised at this, but didn't let that stop her from making sure she's heard._

" _Look, I meant what I said. I'm never gonna stop until I find the truth!"_

" _Whoa, just chill out. I'm not against that. I was helping you... I guess?"_

" _Huh? But why?"_

" _Well, you know Belle Shaybon? Well, she's my older sis."_

 _Hearing of this, Katie grew surprised as she acted giddy._

" _Seriously? You're her sister?"_

" _Yeah. They're still looking into this whole mess. But I'm gonna find the answer for myself. They'll see."_

" _I guess great minds think alike, huh?"_

 _Then, Jenny got her hand out to shake Katie's before they commenced a handshake._

" _Yeah. Anyway, I'm Jenny."_

" _My name's Katie. It's great to meet you. Or, you know, it would be if I didn't get sacked from the Garrison."_

" _Don't worry. I'm gonna find out whatever I can about the Kerberos team. I promise."_

 _What neither of them noticed, however, was that the raven-haired girl was watching them from far away and held a single tear as her hope became reinvigorated._

* * *

Back at the ship, Pidge had snapped back to reality.

"Okay. Talk me through it, Allura."

"Shutting down the barrier from this room can be dangerous. Remember, the barrier is also a weapon. So, stay away from the energy arcs."

"Don't touch the giant lightning bolts. Got it."

"Now, what I'm going to need you to do is—"

Suddenly, Rover shoved Pidge out of the way of a dark energy arc from Zarix as she did a short scream.

"Stand still, you fleshbag!"

As Pidge ran away, Allura tried to reach her.

"Pidge! Hello? Are you there? Pidge, what's going on?"

Suddenly, Varek appeared and proceeded to attack them with his Dark Quintessence-filled fist before Keith clashed his sword with his fist, resulting in a shockwave, knocking the both of them away, whilst also revealing Klaizap to have hidden under the hovercraft Keith and Allura rode on earlier. Then, Keith looked to see Varek had disappeared.

"Varek. He's disappeared again."

Meanwhile, Allura had an idea.

"Wait... the mice. Maybe they can help."

Then, she began telekinetically speaking to the mice.

" **Friends, I need your help."**

With that, the mice, who have heard her voice, immediately went to help.

* * *

At the hangar, Lapis could only watch as Kaecilius watched over the monitors while Shiro and Belle were unconscious. Just then, Lapis heard squeaking and turned to see the mice. Upon being relieved, she whisper-yelled at them.

"Mice! Thank goodness."

With that, the mice got to work on dismantling the cuffs and were successful. Then, Lapis reached for her blade and chucked it at Kaecilius, who grabbed it from behind him, earning her gasp of surprise.

"Don't think I'm not acutely aware of the element of surprise."

Then, Kaecilius chucked the blade at the ground by Lapis' feet before she picked it up.

"I don't know how you broke free, but seeing as you are so desperate for a family reunion, I'll at least give you a head start. You can join in the intruders' plans, but you will be defeated. Make no mistake."

Lapis glared at him before she looked back to her friends and walked out of the door.

"We'll see about that."

As she walked out, Kaecilius turned back to the monitor with a deadly smirk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge and Rover were under attack by Zarix and his drones. As he fired, Pidge took a look through his device and noticed an open vent.

"My only way out is two floors up? Seriously?"

Then, Pidge yelped as Zarix shouted near him.

"You cannot escape me while Dark Quintessence flows through my veins!"

However, Pidge found a way around that as he activated a hologram.

"Let's try this."

Then, Pidge ran out on the ledge when a drone was about to shoot him.

"There!"

However, Zarix foresaw this ruse.

"No, you dolt! I forbid you to—"

It was too late. The drone fired at the energy arcs, causing lightning to strike near Zarix and at the drones.

"Ugh, for the love of— Obviously, this is why there are leaders and followers."

Then, Zarix noticed Pidge escaping and tried to snatch him with his claws, but missed. In retaliation, Zarix fired his lightning at the arcs, causing them to hit Pidge on the back and hit the floor as he laughed.

"Game, set, and match."

Then, they heard a feminine voice.

"Not even close!"

"What?"

Then, Zarix ended up shot in the chest, knocking him back. Pidge looked up to see Lapis.

"C'mon, hurry!"

Then, Pidge shot her bayard at the wall near the vent and retracted it to go up with Rover following her.

"Whoa! Can't believe that worked!"

"We're not out of this yet. Come on!"

With that, Pidge and Lapis walked into the vent as Zarix glared at the drones.

"You stay and guard the generator. I've got a pest problem to take care of."

With that, Zarix vanished in a black mist, just as Pidge and Lapis appeared on the training deck after forcing the vent grating open. As they ran to the door, Vaxel spoke on the monitor.

"Well, well. I'm surprised you've managed to make it this far. Too bad that this is where you've reached the end of the line."

Then, suddenly, two drones and Vaxel emerged through the glass and landed in front of them. As the drones fired, Pidge used her arm device to see that the path of the Labyrinth was presently unactivated, making Lapis intrigued.

"What are you doing?"

"The invisible maze. Let's see them get through this."

"Good plan."

Then, Pidge and Lapis ran toward the three as they attacked. Then, as Vaxel was about to reach for Pidge, she activated the barrier, causing Vaxel to lose his right arm in the process, as did the drone, causing him to yell in pain. Then, as the two remaining Galra are trapped, Lapis, Rover, and Pidge took off for the vent with Vaxel glaring at them before disappearing in a black mist.

As they crawled in the vent, they found themselves being shot at by Vaxel, who reappeared within the vents. Then, he successfully shot at Pidge in the back, causing her to tumble before falling, much to Lapis' horror.

"No!"

Then, Vaxel held his sword close to Lapis' neck.

"Your turn."

As he prepared to strike, a green blade came up and hit the ceiling, much to Lapis and Vaxel's surprise.

"What?"

Then, Pidge pulled the blade down, causing it to hit Vaxel in the head, causing him to fall before vanishing in a black mist. Then, Lapis hopped from ledge to ledge to catch up with Pidge who was losing her grip. When she stumbled back, she noticed Rover had held her up.

"Rover. Nice save, buddy."

Rover beeped before Lapis caught up with her.

"Pidge! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks to this guy."

Rover beeped again in concurrence before they went back to the quest.

Then, Pidge opened up one vent grating and saw that no one else was in the halls before sighing and taking her helmet off as she spoke.

"That was too close. We'll have to be more careful if we want to help Jenny."

That made Pidge remember the time she spent with her.

* * *

 _At Jenny's dorm, Katie was standing in front of Jenny, confused about a certain detail to blending in: a haircut._

" _I don't see how this is supposed to help me blend in."_

" _Well, they already recognize you with your hair. So that's gotta be the first thing to go. And, believe me, I wouldn't suggest this unless I knew it'd work. Can you trust me?"_

 _Katie showed an anxious look on her face before a girl spoke up from afar._

" _I'd take her up on it, if I were you."_

 _At that moment, a girl with short raven hair and purple eyes appeared by the doorway, catching the two of them by surprise as Jenny spoke._

" _Eek! Ayame, I can explain!"_

" _It's okay. You don't have to explain anything. I understand."_

" _Wait. So you won't tell Commander Iverson?"_

" _Why should I? Katie was just trying to find her family, and he just kicked her out for it. Besides, if they're out there... my brother might be, too. If it means getting him back, then I'll help you."_

" _Wow, Ayame... thanks."_

 _With that, Ayame looked to Katie before she spoke as the latter took a deep breath before agreeing._

" _So, you ready for this?"_

" _Why not? It's my first day of school."_

 _Jenny and Ayame smiled at this as the former helped out._

" _That's the spirit. Now, hold still."_

 _With that, Jenny held her hair in place as Ayame cut out the hair which soon fell to the floor._

* * *

 _Later, Lance and Hunk were seeing the results placed out._

" _I made it! I'm a fighter pilot."_

 _Then, he did a dance just as Jenny and Katie arrived._

" _He's the guy you want to be with?"_

" _Well, he may not look like much, but he's recently helped me through a rough time. I love him for that."_

 _Then, Lance finished his dance._

" _Hasta la later, Keith! And look, you're my engineer."_

" _Cool. Uh, can I do that from the ground?"_

 _Lance gave a look that said, "really?" at Hunk before looking at the results._

" _And our copilot is Jenny Shaybon. Yes! And our communications officer is... Who the heck is Pidge Gunderson?"_

 _Then, Jenny spoke up far away to answer._

" _He's my friend."_

 _Lance turned to see Jenny and "Pidge" as he grew surprised._

" _Seriously? He's your friend?"_

" _Yeah. It'd be great if he could join in."_

 _Seeing as they had never met him before, Lance spoke with Jenny about a certain detail._

" _What does Ayame think about this?"_

" _Don't worry. She okayed it."_

" _Well, in that case... welcome to the team, Gunderson. I'm Lance, your fighter pilot."_

 _Then, Hunk did a friendly handshake with Pidge._

" _Hey, I'm Hunk."_

" _We got a lot of great times ahead, so we should probably start bonding now."_

" _Sure. I don't see why not."_

 _Then, Jenny and Pidge heard Iverson talking with his officer._

" _Security for the Galaxy Garrison's mainframe is our first priority. It's been breached once. And by a girl, no less."_

 _Hearing this made Jenny snicker._

" _That was you?"_

 _Pidge nodded at her as Iverson spoke up._

" _It cannot happen again!"_

 _Then, he walked past Jenny and Pidge as they used their left arms to do a sign off._

" _Wrong arm, cadets."_

 _Then, they corrected their mistake as Lance and Hunk did a sign off as well. They breathed a sigh of relief as Lance talked again._

" _Hello? Pizza? Girls? Astronauts?"_

" _Sorry, we weren't really listening to that. We just heard that the mainframe got hacked... by a girl."_

 _Jenny snickered as Lance did a bit of that himself._

" _That does sound funny, doesn't it?"_

" _Anyway, I've got to help Pidge get ready. See you at the simulator."_

 _Then, after a few steps, Jenny stopped and spoke to Lance._

" _Oh, and Lance? If you're planning on rubbing them in my face, you've got a real death wish. I'm just sayin'."_

 _Then they walked away with Lance perplexed._

" _What's her problem? I'm just suggesting that we make them jealous."_

" _Dude, I don't think she paid attention to that."_

* * *

Back at the halls, Lapis tried to snap Pidge out of it.

"Pidge? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lapis. It's just... I haven't always been there for my team. But, despite that, she was always there for me. I can't let her down."

Then, Pidge put her helmet back on before they made a break for the cell.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the cell, Azix was plucking a single hair from Jenny before placing it in the vial, reversing the polarity of the Dark Quintessence in the vial as Babak took notes.

"I'm getting close. We should be able to complete it before one of his acolytes arrive here."

"I hope so. Jenny needs us, just as I've grown to need her."

Just then, the purple colors changed from purple to blue, much to the joy of Lance and Babak.

"It is done."

Lance and Babak grew joyful knowing the operation was a success.

"Yes!"

"AHA! Thank the ancients!"

"Now, we just need to inject it."

Just then, they heard dull footsteps and looked to see Zaltron stepping forward as Azix spoke in surprise under his breath.

"Zaltron."

Then, Zaltron drew his sword as Azix tried to reason with him.

"Zaltron, you must listen to me. You were a noble warrior who fought for the freedom of all beings in the universe."

Then, Zaltron grabbed Azix by the throat and pinned him to the wall as Lance panicked.

"Whoa!"

"I fight for my own kind! My own planet!"

"Don't you remember? Daibazaal was destroyed millennia ago. To keep this kind of Quintessence inside you out of reach."

Zaltron began crushing his neck as he glared.

"I will kill you."

Azix wasn't going to give up, though.

"So be it. I'll follow you to the ends of the universe, old friend."

Hearing that phrase, Zaltron released Azix as he fell to the floor, gasping for air that would've been denied him. Then, Zaltron places his hand over his head as he remembered everything he had been through, ranging from Zaltron's time with Babak to his final clash with Kaecilius. Then, Zaltron lifted his head up.

"Azix. Your voice. I have not heard it since the universe fell."

Lance drew a breath of relief as Zaltron turned to see Jenny with grey scars all over her body in horror.

"What... have I... done?"

"It's not what you've done, old friend. But it is what you can fix."

With that, Azix gave Zaltron a vial of blue Quintessence as he recognized used it.

"Divine Quintessence?"

"Yes. This came as a surprise to me as well. All I needed was one head of hair from her."

Lance grew curious about this variant of Quintessence before Zaltron explained.

"Divine Quintessence? What's that?"

"The only thing that'll jumpstart Jenny's body from her slumber."

Zaltron then looked to Jenny before injecting the Quintessence in her arm. When he was finished, Jenny's scars began to fade as her eyes opened in a bright white color.

* * *

 _In her coma, she saw a bright planet with a green, grassy field with blue skies above her. Then, she heard a feminine voice speak behind her._

" _You're a long way from home, aren't you?"_

 _Then, Jenny turned to see a woman with blue hair, and blue eyes in a white robe. As she walked toward Jenny, the latter asked questions._

" _Who are you? And what am I doing here?"_

 _The woman placed her finger on her lips before speaking._

" _My name is Alphus, and this is Planet X."_

 _Jenny blinked her eyes._

" _Alphus... and Planet X?"_

" _I know you have more questions, but they'll have to wait. What I can tell you, though, is that you are capable of many great things."_

 _Then, the instant Alphus touched her belly with her finger, Jenny glowed bright and her light overtook the planet and Alphus._

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Argus, she coughed a bit before waking up to see Lance, Babak, and Zaltron.

"Whoa. Who's the big robot dude?"

Then, Lance immediately hugged Jenny out of joy.

"You're okay! I'm so happy."

Jenny was surprised for a moment before smiling and returning the hug.

"Yeah. I'm back."

"Huh? Back from where?"

"Oh. Don't worry about it right now. What's going on?"

Zaltron gave her the report as far as the Castle.

"Kaecilius has taken command of the castle. So far the launch has been delayed, but we don't know for how long."

Babak knew that it was easy to guess what it meant as he spoke before a voice responded to him.

"Then it seems time is of the essence."

"On that, we agree."

Upon hearing said voice, they turned to see Lapis and Pidge by the door as Jenny and Lance spoke to Lapis.

"Guys!"

"What took ya so long?"

"Don't worry. We know the way."

* * *

Back at the main engine, Haxxus was working in the generator while Sendak got to work at the hangar.

"Powering sub panels."

"Sub panel energy transducer is go."

"Aye, sir. Opening pathway to link with bridge. Initializing main cluster reboot."

As Haxxus worked, Pidge scanned the panel and got access.

"Gotcha."

Then, Pidge got to a section to power up electricity.

"Initializing complete. I'm set for main power up."

"The bridge is go."

"Power up."

Then, Haxxus powered it up as Pidge took notice and did the same.

"And up, and up, and up. I would not want to be touching a metal surface when this thing overloads."

Then, Haxxus noticed the problem.

"Sir, something is wrong."

Then, the core overloaded onto the metal surface, causing Haxxus to be electrocuted while Pidge jumped off in time and landed in front of him while Lapis, Lance, Jenny, and Zaltron went through the door that led to the engine. At the same moment, Zarix appeared beside Haxxus and could tell he was having problems.

"Now what?"

Then, he took a look at the group as his eyes widened with Zarix speaking first before Haxxus spoke to Pidge.

"No. Zaltron?"

"You're the ones causing all this trouble? Led by a child?"

"I'm not a child. I'm a Paladin of Voltron."

Haxxus got out his blade as Zarix spoke before he did.

"Makes no difference."

"Let me tell you something, child. We are soldiers of the Galra Empire. Nothing stops us but triumph or death."

Lapis and Zaltron glared at Haxxus next as they drew their weapons.

"Funny. The Blade of Marmora has that same policy too."

"Except only one of us will be victorious."

Then, Zarix and Haxxus began attacking the group with Pidge dodging Haxxus' sword and Lapis clashing with Zarix's magic. Pidge shot his bayard at Haxxus, only for him to grab his line and use it to swing him toward the panel. Then, Lapis saw this as Zaltron blocked Zarix's blasts at her while she ran to help him. At that moment, Haxxus prepares to slay Pidge.

"Nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide."

Then, Lapis yelled as she got her dual swords out and prepared to attack, only for Haxxus to block them with his one sword. Unfortunately, he was overpowered and sent to the chasm below before Lapis got her chain blade and caught Haxxus before pulling him up.

"You're gonna be locked up for a long time."

Then, she set Haxxus down all tied up in purple energy bands from her chain blade. As she did so, Zaltron got pushed back by Zarix's blasts.

"You will not escape my might."

Then, he realized it was all too easy for him.

"Wait. You pests are up to something."

Just then, Rover beeped at him, allowing Pidge to trip him and sent him staggering back to where Haxxus would've fallen and looked to see Rover ramming him in the face. After he was hit, Zarix clutched onto Rover, who then deactivated itself causing the both of them to fall.

"No!"

Then, Zarix fell as his yell echoed.

"No!"

With Rover and Zarix gone, Pidge shouted as she reached her hand out for it while Jenny and Lapis held her back.

"No!"

"Stop, Pidge!"

"Calm down. Rover wanted this. To keep you safe. Don't forget what that meant."

With that, Pidge couldn't help but sob at the loss of his friend as Lapis and Jenny held her as Lance held his head down in respect for Rover. After all, it's not something any drone would do. Just then, Kaecilius spoke in the panel.

"Haxxus, report in."

Seeing as Pidge and the others were occupied, Zaltron spoke to Kaecilius.

"Haxxus is under the custody of the Blade of Marmora, and you're next."

"You're all fools! All your stunt did was buy them time, but this castle belongs to the us! You will turn yourself over immediately."

Lapis spoke back to Kaecilius in anger, having seen Rover's sacrifice.

"And why would we do that?"

Sendak took his turn to speak next as he introduced an ultimatum.

"Well, then, maybe your leader can convince you."

Then, Shiro spoke on the panel as Sendak taunted Lapis.

"What do you want?"

"Your friend wanted to hear from you."

"Shiro?"

"Lapis? Lapis, don't listen to—"

Before he could finish, Shiro ended up electrocuted by Kaecilius, causing Jenny to cringe while Pidge closed her eyes in disbelief as Lapis began to shout while Zaltron took his breath of anger.

"Stop, Sendak! Leave him out of this! It's me you want!"

"That's right. Only you can end this. Turn yourself in. Their suffering is in your hands, especially yours, Zaltron."

Then, Zaltron stormed off to the door, to the confusion of Lance.

"Hey, where you going?"

"Attend to your fellow Paladins. There is something I must do."

Pidge, Jenny, and Lapis tried to change his mind.

"Like what, taking on Kaecilius all by yourself?"

"Who knows what that creep could do?"

"You can't be serious, father. What if he takes control over you again?"

"I have been foolish not to see what history has proven over and over again. That the Blade of Marmora and the Galra Empire will never mend their ways. If there cannot be a diplomatic solution to this perpetual conflict, then I must not allow more darkness to fall on this or any world. Kaecilius must be destroyed."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Allura were walking in the halls and sneaking along the walls. When Keith peeked past the wall, there was no one present.

"Okay. No one's here yet."

Then, Varek appeared behind Keith.

"Think again, Paladin."

In a swift motion, Varek fired his streak of lightning on both of them, causing them to cringe in pain as Varek smiled.

"You've been running around making messes for too long, and now I'm going to siphon the life from you."

Then, Klaizap noticed Varek and ran toward him as the latter smirked.

"I can't wait to watch you die."

Suddenly, he heard Klaizap's yell as he thrusted his weapon at Varek, only for it to lightly poke him before clattering to the ground. After such an attempt failed Klaizap, Varek laughed at this.

"You really thought you could hurt me with that toy? You're going to have to do much better than that."

Just then, Varek got shot in the back by a blue blast, which was revealed to be from Lance as he ran toward them.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'distraction?'"

As Varek glared at him, he vanished in a black mist before heading to Keith and Allura.

"You guys alright?"

"Yeah. Talk about timing."

"How's Jenny doing?"

"Well, it's a long story. What's Klaizap doing here?"

As Lance pointed to him, Keith and Allura responded at the same time.

"It's a long story."

* * *

At the hangar, Sendak taunted Shiro and Belle.

"I'm impressed that you and Lapis had managed to escape. Perhaps it might be worth the trip to your planet to see if the rest of your kind have your spirit. Of course, they will all end up broken, just like you. Now that we have Voltron, every planet, every race, all share the same fate."

Then, Zaltron spoke up.

"There's only one who will serve a worse fate, Sendak: yours!"

With that, Zaltron slashed a bright pink energy blast at Sendak, forcing him to block and went after Zaltron in anger, only for him to be thwacked by the Knight out of the room as he confronted Kaecilius.

"Kaecilius. Today, you will answer for your crimes against Altea, and against the universe."

"The only beings who have committed crimes, Zaltron, are you and every mortal in existence. They must all perish!"

With that, Kaecilius lunged at Zaltron as he did the same and the both of them teleported out of the hangar as Pidge, Jenny, and Lapis went in as Sendak slowly awoke. As Pidge ran over to Shiro and Belle, she tried to wake them up.

"Shiro, Belle, wake up. It's me, Pidge."

Then, Lapis shoved Pidge out of the way and got caught in Sendak's claw as he spoke.

"You really thought your father could defeat me?"

Then, Sendak noticed Keith, Lance, and Allura as they got ready to fight.

"Stand back!"

Just then, Jenny fired a blue blast at him, causing him to release Lapis as Belle and Shiro snapped out of their sleep and proceeded to fight him, despite their hands being tied. However, they were knocked away before Keith began attacking Sendak, who guarded with his claw before he used it to grab Keith and slam him to the floor. Pidge took the opportunity to sever the pink line connecting his socket and the claw, causing it to be disconnected, much to his fury.

"No!"

As they fought, Allura got to work on the panel that was there. During the fight, Pidge tossed his bayard at Sendak, electrocuting him as it wrapped around his foot. Then, Keith and Lapis attempted to slash at him, only for Sendak to catch the blades and hold them back with his one hand before Allura finished.

"Keith, Lapis, now!"

Then, they shoved Sendak under the crystal before a barrier activated. Sendak pounded in the barrier in defeat before Lapis took a look through the monitor and saw Zaltron fighting Kaecilius at the castle grounds.

* * *

Outside, Kaecilius prepared his energy blade from his right hand, only it was a scythe. Then, Kaecilius roared as he lunged at him and tried to hack at him, only for Zaltron to clash his sword with the scythe and slide it down his side diagonally. In the process, the Dark Quintessence leaked from where the cut had been made. Then, Zaltron at Kaecilius and planted his sword by his neck.

"It's over, Kaecilius."

However, Kaecilius glared at Zaltron as his eyes flared pink.

"No!"

Then, he blinded Zaltron before vanishing in a black mist. When he looked again, he was already gone. Zaltron yelled out at the sky in frustration as it echoed around Arus. Lapis saw this and tried to speak to him via Castle speakers.

"Father. Leave him for now. We have to get the Castle back in order. But the next time we see him, he'll be done for."

Then, Zaltron turned back to the Castle and walked in.

"Very well. The Castle's well-being takes top priority. For now."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the castle, Keith freed Belle and Shiro as Jenny got herself ready.

"Okay. Here goes."

Then, she placed the palms of her hands together and formed a blue-white energy sphere before she thrust it at the crystal, causing it to eradicate any trace of Dark Quintessence from it and changed the Castle back to normal. As for the Phoenix that occupied it, it changed color and disappeared within the castle walls. Babak took a look at the systems and saw then beyond peak efficiency.

"Amazing! I don't know what you did, but everything is beyond their normal limits!"

Then, Jenny took a deep breath before she talked with Lance.

"Nice job."

"Thanks. But you should really be telling that to Alphus."

Hearing this, Babak became surprised as he turned to her.

"Alphus...? Where did you hear that name?"

Seeing that Babak had become interested, Jenny explained what happened.

"When I was unconscious, I saw... I saw a beautiful planet. Life thriving everywhere. I thought I was in Heaven. But... the lady who lived there told me it was somewhere called 'Planet X.' It's far out of reach from anywhere, especially the Galra. I don't understand. Was that Oriande?"

Although he couldn't answer that one, Babak had a question of his own.

"Could be. But just to be sure, how did Alphus appear to you?"

"In a dream, I guess?"

"I meant what did she look like?"

"Oh. Well, I can tell you that she had blue hair and eyes. She was so beautiful."

As Babak widened his eyes, he became very struck with surprise before Jenny spoke onward.

"By the ancients..."

"She also told me I can be capable of doing great things. Then, she just touched my belly and, poof! I'm back."

Lance grew more amazed at this new person.

"Well, whoever she was, she really helped us out."

Babak knew who she was.

"Of course she did. Alphus would never turn a blind eye to righteous Alteans."

Seeing how casually Babak mentioned her, Jenny became intrigued herself.

"Huh? Why would she? Better yet, _who_ is she?"

"The Goddess of Light in the universe that once resided in another reality before she chose to live on Altea. We had feared she'd perished with our home. But, given what you've just experienced in your coma, we just might have a huge leap ahead of Zarkon."

Later, at the sleep chamber, Allura had gotten acquainted with Zaltron and Azix, thanks in part to Babak.

"This situation would've been worse if they hadn't helped."

"Princess Allura, I'm aware that you are skeptical of my motives. But I can assure you that I will fight for the sake of the universe and defeat the Galra Empire for good."

"Zaltron, you are right. I am a bit skeptical. But you've more than proven your worth by fighting alongside us. You're welcome to stay in the Castle with us, at least for the time being."

Seeing the two of them shaking hands, Babak smirked at their equal defiance against Zarkon as he and Azix spoke.

"Well, I guess rebellion runs in the family."

"That it does, Babak. That it does."

Meanwhile, Jenny saw that a pod is set up and became curious.

"So, what's with this pod?"

"This pod is actually meant for you. After a day in here, you should be fully healed."

"But why do I have to go in there? Aren't I better now?"

"While the Divine Quintessence gave you a boost in durability, you still haven't fully recovered from the Dark Quintessence. It's necessary."

Knowing how heavy a toll Jenny nearly paid from that Quintessential blast, Jenny sighed before speaking up.

"Can I just say something first?"

In compliance, Babak nodded before she turned to Pidge and spoke.

"Pidge. We can't thank you enough for all you've done. Especially not me. I can't help but feel that you're meant to be a part of our team. So, again, thank you."

"Aw, I didn't do much. Actually, I didn't really do anything to help you."

"Aw, come on. That's not true."

"Huh?"

"I heard you were going to leave the team."

Pidge felt embarrassed about not telling Jenny.

"So... You know about that, huh?"

"Yeah. Sis told me. But then, she convinced you to stay. And... I'm really glad she did."

Then, Jenny began to tear up.

"Because, if you'd left... you... you would've left me to die..."

Then, she hugged Pidge as she began to sob on her.

"But you stayed! Lance and the others may have helped me get off my feet, but the truth is, you saved me! Because by staying, you gave me the strength I needed to keep on living! I would've given up a long time ago if it wasn't for you!"

As she sobbed on her, Pidge smiled.

"I had to stay. Dad used to tell me how close he was with his crew members. They were like family. Now, I understand what he was talking about."

Jenny sniffled as she tried to speak.

"Y-You mean it? You promise you won't leave?"

"I promise. Let's stop Zarkon for all of our families."

Then, Jenny hugged her tighter as she gratified her, inadvertently crushing Pidge.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Okay. I'm getting crushed, here."

Then, Jenny stopped hugging Pidge in embarrassment.

"Oh. Sorry."

Then, Jenny walked in the pod and laid on her back as the pod closed on her with her tears eyes eyes shut and her lips smiling before she spoke softly.

"See you tomorrow."

With that, the pod activated, sealing Jenny in its cold embrace before Keith then turned to Pidge, as did Lapis.

"Good to have you back on the team."

"Yeah. Jenny is lucky to have a friend like you."

Pidge smiled back just as Hunk, Coran, and Sandra walked in with the new crystal to notice the group.

"Whoa. What happened here?"

"Is Jenny okay?"

Lapis explained their condition to Sandra, seeing as she wasn't around for that.

"She's fine now. In fact, she's just recovering in the pod."

Shiro wanted to know their situation as well before Hunk explained.

"What's up with you guys?"

"We've got something to tell you about what's going on at Balmera."

Then, Hunk noticed Zaltron beside Lapis before Babak answered him.

"Hey, who's this big robot dude?"

"Well, it's an equally long story."


	6. Quest for the Balmera

**Chapter 5:** Quest for the Balmera

At Zarkon's central command, Kaecilius lingered by the sacred chamber, wondering what went wrong.

Kaecilius: "I don't understand this. How could a mortal possibly be able to undercut my invincible flesh?!"

Then, he turned to a vial of Dark Quintessence and came to an epiphany.

Kaecilius: "Perhaps this strain of Dark Quintessence is not nearly perfect enough. How fortunate that I will test it soon..."

* * *

Back at the castle, Coran, Sandra, and Hunk were brought up to date in what had happened to them since their departure.

Hunk: "Wow. Jenny did all that?"

Coran: "But how could she? I thought Alphus was the only one capable of this."

Babak: "She was, until Jenny's recent coma-vision. Thanks to her, she was able to restore the crystal."

Hunk felt particularly upset.

Hunk: "Great. That means we hauled that crystal here for nothing."

Keith: "What are you talking about?"

Hunk took the opportunity to recall the events they've gone through.

Hunk: "Okay. It happened about a varga ago."

* * *

 **One Varga Earlier**

* * *

Hunk, Coran, and Sandra were in a pod traveling towards Balmera.

Hunk: "Is this the Balmera planet with the crystals?"

Coran: "It's not a planet. Balmera are ancient animals. Petrified, but still alive."

Sandra: "Great. I'm guessing we have to pet it to get the crystals?"

Coran: "Not really. Their bodies naturally create the crystals that help power mini Altean ships. I often accompanied my grandfather to visit these majestic creatures when he was building the Castle of Lions. I'll never forget the first time I saw the sparkling surface of a Balmera. You're in for quite a treat."

Sandra: "Uh, no offense, but nothing about it is sparkling. Look."

Then, they got to the surface and saw the Galra enhancements on the Balmera.

Coran: "Oh, no. This is horrifying. The Galra have turned this into a mining colony! They're completely destroying it! They have no regard for the poor creature!"

Sandra was clearly not happy with this.

Sandra: "I'll give you one guess who's behind it."

Then, a Galra ship floated above them.

Hunk: "Uh-oh. We've been spotted."

Galra Pilot: "Hailing unidentified craft. State your ship ID, entry code, and landing destination."

Hunk grew exceptionally worried.

Hunk: "Oh, no. What do we do?"

Coran: "Just stay calm."

Then, Coran spoke into the radio.

Coran: "We don't really need to land. Uh, we're just looking around, if that's okay."

However, the pilot wasn't convinced.

Galra Pilot: "Unidentified craft, land immediately and prepare to be boarded."

Sandra saw no two ways about what they'd do next.

Sandra: "Well, that's not gonna happen."

Then, she thrusted the lever to speed up and headed toward a hole as Hunk screamed while the ship turned around. As they got close, Galra Ships started firing at them before Sandra noticed that they're closer to the hole.

Sandra: "Hunk, you better not upchuck in this pod!"

Then, she lurched downward into the hole as Hunk screamed. After a while, it seemed to go on and on until Hunk finally stopped screaming.

Hunk: "How deep is this thing?"

Sandra: "Got me."

Then, they ended up seeing catwalks as Sandra swerved to evade them, but was unsuccessful as she hit a few before impact on the ground. Then, the pod's door opened before they got out.

Sandra: "For the record, not my best landing."

Then, they noticed two creatures with yellow eyes by the cave.

Hunk: "Guys, What lives at the bottom of these mines?"

Sandra decided to play it safe.

Sandra: "Could be Galra miners. Stay back. I'm not afraid to use it on the Galra."

Then, the two figures revealed themselves to be native beings of the Balmera.

Sandra: "Wait. You're not Galra."

Unknown: "Nor are you."

Then, they looked up to see a Galra Ship descending downwards.

Sandra: "Quiznak!"

Unknown: "A patrol! Shay, we must take leave from these ones, now."

Coran: "Wait, Please! We need your help."

Sandra: "Not to say I agree, but if we get caught, they'll most likely kills us."

Hunk: "Or torture us."

Coran: "Or keep us as some sort of creepy pet to play with how they please."

Unknown: "Not our problem, Hairy Lip."

Sandra snickered at the name the Balmera gave to Coran as he spoke onward.

Unknown: "Galra see us near you and they kill both of us."

Sandra: "Exactly. The sooner you help us, the sooner that problem is taken care of."

As much as he hated to admit it, Sandra was right.

Unknown: "Vex!"

Then, the Balmerans ran to the ship.

Unknown: "Grab a side. In here. Hurry!"

Then, they dragged the ship inside the scene before the patrol could spot them.

Sandra: "Phew! Thanks for the help. I'm Sandra. Hairy Lip here is Coran."

Hunk: "I'm Hunk."

Then, the Balmerans introduced themselves.

Shay: "Shay. And this one, my brother, Rax. How did you fall to us?"

Sandra rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

Sandra: "Yeah, that was an accident."

Hunk: "Beside that, we came looking for something. And you guys might be able to help us find it."

Sandra: "After that, we'll get out of your... heads, I guess?"

Rax: "Good. The sooner you do, the better."

Sandra grew confused at how fast he went along with that part of the plan.

Sandra: "Agreed?"

* * *

At the surface, a Galra soldier walked in to discuss with a Galra Commander with short violet hair, blue sapphire eyes, and a goatee.

Unknown: "They say there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true. The other is to refuse to believe what is. What one soul considers evil, another might consider righteous. Anyone who refuses to see this is found to be..."

Then, the Galra Commander reaches for his shotgun and fired it at a drone, destroying it whilst frightening the soldier.

Unknown: "...the fool."

Then, the figure behind him with a scar on his eye and a beard stepped in.

Unknown 2: "Xarnas, we've found an unidentified ship headed toward the mines."

Xarnas: "Did you now, Snide? Well, I trust you were be able to sort this debacle out?"

Then, Xarnas walked out of the room with Snide following him as the latter glared at him.

Snide: "That we have, but there's a matter to be concerned about. We saw two Paladins of Voltron."

Xarnas stopped in his place and grew intrigued.

Xarnas: "Interesting."

* * *

Back at the caves, Sandra, Coran, and Hunk sat down with Shay, Rax, and their family to eat.

Hunk: "Thanks for the delicious soup. Are those potatoes in there?"

Shay: "Grandma's special dish for special visitors. Cave-root for the skin. Cave-bugs for the soul."

That made Hunk and Coran gag a bit while Sandra shrugged her shoulders.

Sandra: "No different than the Garrison Cafeteria, then. So how many of you are down here?"

Shay's Father: "There are thousands here on Balmera. We work and live in these mines."

Shay: "We harvest crystals for Zarkon."

Sandra and Hunk glared at the very name.

Sandra: "Him again."

Hunk: "That's so sad that he's enslaved an entire planet."

Shay's Father: "Zarkon may rule, but we still have family. That's where true happiness comes from."

Sandra smiled at this, only to remember she never had that privilege.

Sandra: "Yeah. Lucky you."

Then, Rax spoke up.

Rax: "Galra would tear our family asunder if they found these ones. Everyone comes to Balmera and takes, but gives nothing in return."

Sandra grew shocked about that.

Sandra: "That's horrible. That couldn't have been that way from the start. Right?"

Shay: "In the past, those who took the Balmera's crystals would replenish her with energy. It was an equal exchange."

Sandra: "How do you know it's a she?"

Shay: "We connect ourselves with the Balmera, hear its voice. But the Galra only take. It is no wonder we can feel her suffering."

Then, as Shay places her hand on the ground, it glowed blue as it moaned. Hunk felt bad about it.

Hunk: "I'm sorry that we put everyone in this situation, but the faster we get the crystal and get out, the faster everyone is out of danger."

Coran: "We're looking for a battleship-class crystal."

Shay's Father: "Battleship-Class crystal?"

Sandra: "Yeah. You know where we can find something like that?"

Shay's Father: "Those are most rare. Galra soldiers guard them ceaselessly until their harvest."

Sandra: "So, we have to go where the most Galra occupy it?"

Shay: "Not necessarily. There is one, found only weeks ago. It is almost excavated."

Sandra: "So, is that a no?"

Rax: "Quiet! Even if they could steal from the Galra, battle patrols wait to take down their ship. These ones have no chance of getting out of here alive, with crystal or without."

Sandra was clearly not happy with him.

Sandra: "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Hunk: "Okay, so this crystal we need is basically the hardest thing in the universe to get."

Coran: "I don't know about the hardest. There is the scaultrite mineral found only in the stomachs of giant Weblums. Collecting their stuff's no picnic. But, yes, this seems very difficult."

Shay: "You may stay here until Balmera gives another crystal. One that is hidden from Galra eyes."

Sandra put her foot down on that.

Sandra: "My friend doesn't have that kind of time, and neither does the Balmera! I'm not leaving without the crystal. Do you understand me?"

Rax grew surprised at Sandra's temper concerning her friends and reluctantly agreed.

Rax: "Fine. But as soon as your mission is complete, you will leave."

Sandra: "Done."

Then, she remembered her crash-landing.

Sandra: "Oh, wait. We have to repair it first."

Coran: "Hunk, you and Sandra go fix the pod. I'm going to do some reconnaissance and see if I can come up with another plan."

Sandra: "As long as you don't do those weird moves."

Coran: "I make no promises."

* * *

At the caves, Snide and Xarnas were walking through to analyze a soldier's crystals and his mining skills. Xarnas checked back with him.

Xarnas: "Any closer to finding it?"

Galra Soldier: "No, sir."

Xarnas: "Then keep working."

Snide: "Why are you sending down only one man at a time?"

Xarnas: "Do you know how unstable that mine is? I sent three down last time. Only one came back, which is two more than the time before that."

Snide: "They're disposable. That's why we have so many of them."

Then, another soldier that accompanied Snide spoke up.

Galra Soldier 2: "Yeah. Snide doesn't tolerate failure."

Snide: "Right you are. Now, say your farewells and get your pathetic behind to work. Now!"

Then, the other soldier began working while Xarnas glared at Snide.

Snide: "If you're so worried, you're more than welcome to supervise the operation."

Xarnas: "Perhaps I might."

With that, Snide walked away as Xarnas glared at Snide.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shay watched as Hunk and Sandra were repairing the pod.

Shay: "Tell me, what is the sky like?"

Sandra: "For real? Haven't you ever seen it?"

Shay: "No... but, at night, I sneak up as high as I dare, trying to imagine what it is like. Oh, lucky are you to fly in this machine to worlds far from here."

Hunk: "Well, it doesn't have to be like this. You can be free, too."

Shay: "Free?"

Sandra: "Yeah, of course. Free to be what you want, go where you want, do what you want. Basically, no Galra Masters to tell you what to do."

Shay: "It makes no sense. Zarkon controls everything."

Hunk: "Nope. No, things are changing. Have you heard of Voltron?"

Shay: "A child's tale."

Hunk: "It's real. I'm one of the Paladins and Voltron is going to defeat Zarkon."

Shay: "You are?"

Then, Rax spoke up to them.

Rax: "Stop filling this one's head with your shadow show! The cavern is our home. This will never change."

Sandra: "None of us ever said it'll change. All we're trying to do is help you."

Rax: "If you want to help, then stay away from us. Come!"

Then, Shay solemnly followed Rax as Sandra glared at him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Xarnas oversaw the drones digging the Balmera and saw a purple light emanating from it.

Galra Soldier 2: "Commander Xarnas, I've found it!"

Xarnas saw the progress he'd made and knew it was real.

Xarnas: "I knew it. Hurry!"

Then, the Galra Soldier dug it out, only for it to spark purple lightning at the soldier. However, it was thwarted by Xarnas as he pulled the soldier out of the way.

Galra Soldier 2: "Thank you, Xarnas. Snide would have—"

Xarnas: "I know all too well what Snide would have done. What he has done."

Galra Soldier 2: "I owe you my life."

Xarnas: "Well, perhaps you can repay me in some small way. Now, let's get what we came for, shall we?"

* * *

At the same moment, Rax inquired of Sandra and Hunk about a certain matter.

Rax: "Is your ship repaired that you may depart our presence?"

Sandra: "You really want us to leave, don't you?"

Rax: "Yes."

Sandra: "Okay, first off, rude. And secondly, it is, but we need the crystal. You come up with any ideas on how to get it?"

Coran: "Actually, yes."

* * *

Meanwhile, Snide critiqued the crystals' value and offered tips.

Snide: "Good. Mm-Hmm. Tighten up the space in the area so they can't move around too much to make it impossible to lift."

Then, Snide oversaw the multitude of crystals being mined as he smirked.

Snide: "A place that thrives on life and gives it to others will now create the weapons to destroy them. Ironic. Don't you think?"

The drone grew confused about the meaning of irony as it turned its head to him.

Snide: "Never mind. Just get to work."

Then, the drone walked away from Snide and went back to its post. Then, three pairs of arms grabbed it and smashed him before Sandra whispered.

Sandra: "Now what?"

Coran: "Right. Step two."

Suddenly, Hunk and Coran disguised as the guard gripped Sandra while he had trouble walking.

Hunk: "I can't believe I'm the legs again. I'm the one who took down the guard; I should get to be the head."

Coran: "Shh! Legs don't talk."

Then, Snide noticed them and spoke up.

Snide: "What's this?"

Then, the "drone" spoke to Snide.

Coran: "I, uh, found this Paladin sneaking to find some Balmera, sir."

Sandra: "Curses! Foiled again!"

Snide looked at Sandra and the drone in disbelief as they grew nervous before he smiled.

Snide: "Excellent. See that this Paladin is under lock and key. Zarkon can rest easy today. Vrepit Sa."

Then, the "drone" placed his hand against his chest as he repeated.

Coran: "Vrepit Sa, and all that."

Then, Snide walked away until he tuned a corner and they continued onward.

Sandra: "I can't believe that actually worked."

Coran: "What'd I tell you? Flawless."

Then, they stopped in front of two other drones.

Coran: "Oh, hello, gentlemen, shift's over. Boss needs you back at the guard shack."

However, the drones weren't quite easy to fool.

Drone: "Verify identification code."

Coran: "Right. I didn't want to have to do this, but I'm going to have to pull rank. You guys are in big trouble, right? So, hand over those blasters and ID badges."

Then, the droids pointed them at Sandra and the disguised Hunk and Coran.

Droid: "Verify identification code or be destroyed."

Then, Coran and Sandra were left with no choice but to take action.

Coran: "Okay, okay. I've got it right... here!"

Then, once the cape came off, Hunk and Sandra shot at the drones, destroying them. Then, they went toward the crystal. Once Coran placed his hands on it, it glowed.

Hunk: "What are you doing? We got to hurry!"

Coran: "I'm not just going to pry this out of here like some Galra monster. The Balmera is a sacred being. You have to communicate with it. Let your life forces connect. This is the way it was done in our time."

Sandra: "I see. I guess slow and steady wins this round."

Then, the ground shook a bit before the dirt moved and the crystal started falling. Coran tried to grab it and lift it, but in doing so, he fractured his back, causing him to freeze up, catching Sandra's worry.

Sandra: "What just happened?"

Coran turned his face slowly to Sandra before speaking.

Coran: "I think I'm broken."

Hunk and Sandra sighed in annoyance before Snide spoke up.

Snide: "So, Voltron Paladins! Thank you for making our excavation easier. We'll just take this off your hands."

Sandra: "As if!"

Hunk: "There's no way you're getting that crystal! We need it more than you!"

Snide: "I wasn't asking."

Then, drones from all directions surrounded them before Coran turned to them.

Coran: "Okay, guys! All right, I hate to do this. Blasters and Badges. Come on. Give them up."

Then, Coran fell to the floor before Hunk and Sabdra raised their hands as he smiled nervously while Sandra made a look of anger with her eyes closed.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Xarnas and his soldier hauled the Dark Quintessence crystal, a drone reported on Shay's activity.

Drone: "Sir, Subject Shay hasn't been seen in seen in several doboshes."

Xarnas: "Odd. She should've arrived by now."

Then, Rax spoke up.

Rax: "That's because she's taking the crystal to the skylings."

Xarnas turned to his voice and raised an eyebrow.

Rax: "I know where their ship is. I'll take you to it."

Xarnas smiled as his eyebrows lowered.

Xarnas: "Well, then. Indulge us."

* * *

Later, Sandra, Hunk, and Coran were stuck in a purple cell.

Coran: "Quiznak! I can't believe they saw through our disguise."

Sandra: "Well, we weren't exactly wearing it. It's in pieces, remember?"

Coran blinked his eyes before remembering that bit.

Coran: "Well, that explains a lot."

Then they heard footsteps as someone stepped closer.

Coran: "Someone's coming."

To their surprise, it was Shay, holding a robot arm.

Hunk/Sandra: "Shay?"

Shay placed the robot hand on the handprint, opening the gate.

Shay: "Make haste to your pod. The crystal is prepared for departure."

Coran: "How did you get the crystal?"

Shay: "I was assigned to take it to the upper levels, but instead I took it down."

Hearing this, Sandra grew worried.

Sandra: "You didn't have to do that."

Shay: "What other choice was there? Soon, they will discover my ruse. Time is short."

Hunk: "Why are you helping us? You'll get in trouble."

Shay: "Because your words touched my heart. I wish for freedom for all Balmera. Perhaps your Voltron can make it so."

Sandra still felt it was too easy.

Sandra: "I'm glad you believe in us. But I think Rax might have a different take on the matter."

Hunk: "So? Why do you care what he thinks? Let's just go."

* * *

With that, they found the pod, only to see Xarnas and his drones beside Rax.

Xarnas: "Hello, all."

Sandra: "I knew this was too easy."

Xarnas: "You must be wondering, 'how did they get here so fast?' Well, you can thank Rax for that. He's done the Galra Empire a commendable service."

Hearing this, Shay grew distraught.

Shay: "No. Rax, why?"

Rax: "These three bring only trouble to our family. It was the only way to protect you."

Xarnas: "Well, if that's your reasoning for being a tattle-tale, I'm afraid it was flawed. Obviously, you know what happens to Balmerans who can't follow orders. They receive a punishment worse than death."

As Rax was beginning to realize his mistake, Sandra was afraid it had something to do with the already decaying Balmera, even worse involving Shay, and immediately blamed Rax for it all.

Sandra: "How could you?! This is what the Galra do, Rax! You said it yourself! They take, but give nothing in return!"

Rax grew flabbergasted at how he'd forgotten it so easily, if not at Sandra's hurt temper.

Sandra: "You don't know what you've done to my friend!"

Then, Snide spoke up.

Snide: "Clearly, that's not the case, Voltron Paladin."

Then, they turned behind to see Snide and his drones in possession of the crystal.

Snide: "Your friend's in desperate need for recuperation, I take it? Well, I suppose, she should've said her prayers, because she's not going to get better."

Hunk and Sandra prepared their bayards before Shay stopped them.

Shay: "No! The Balmera will save us."

Then, Shay placed her hand onto the ground, causing it to glow blue as it shook, much to Snide's confusion and Rax's horror.

Snide: "What's that noise?"

Rax: "Shay, no!"

Then, as a result of its shaking, the rocks came down on the drones from both sides as Hunk, Sandra, Shay, and Coran made a break for the pod. The drones shot at them, only to miss, with Hunk using his shield and sidestepping the laser. However, Xarnas got out his shotgun and fired a purple lasso at Shay before wrapping her up and electrocuting her as he pulled her in.

Hunk/Sandra: "Shay!"

Hunk: "Let her go!"

Xarnas: "And let my bargaining chip go to waste? You're not thinking at all."

Despite the painful shock, Shay spoke proudly to the Paladins.

Shay: "Go! Make haste!"

Sandra, however, was focused on vengeful retaliation after what Rax had done. Sandra readied her bayard into a rifle and didn't hesitate to Target him with her finger in the trigger.

Sandra: "That's it, Rax! YOU'RE DONE!"

Coran: "No, Sandra! We have to go!"

Snide: "Listen to your elder. He speaks wisely."

Hunk whimpered as another Galra ship landed.

Sandra: "He needs to pay for what he's done! For all we know, he's the Galra, for all I care!"

Hearing this, Shay spoke up.

Shay: "N-No! Please, don't! Rax doesn't know what he's done!"

Sandra: "And he never will."

Then, Sandra pulled the trigger, but it wasn't at Rax. It was at the bands holding Shay, freeing her. Then, she fired another blast at Xarnas, hitting him in the shoulder as he fell. As Shay ran off, Snide ordered his soldiers.

Snide: "Forget the Balmeran. Bring that pod down!"

Then, the drones took fire at the pod before Sandra fired above the drones, a look of anger on her face as thevricks fell in the drones and trapped Snide in a cave. After that, Sandra turned to Rax.

Sandra: "I will never forgive you for what you've done to the Balmera, Rax. Ever."

Then, Hunk took the opportunity to call out for her as she ran off.

Hunk: "I'll come back for you, Shay! I promise!"

Then, the pod door closed as they hovered in the air.

Coran: "If we can't shake these patrols, we might be back here sooner than we want!"

Then, just before the pod took off, Xarnas looked up and saw it's business end pointing at him before it darted, blowing him away before he landed on the ground with his hands and feet. He proceeded to smash his fist into the Balmera in frustration.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk, Sandra, and Coran dodged the Galra ships as they flew upward avoiding catwalks.

Coran: "We can't shake them! We're not going to make it!"

However, Sandra saw a thruster button and had an idea.

Sandra: "What about the booster?"

Coran: "Uh, it may turn us into a giant fireball."

Hunk: "Maybe, but it's our only chance."

Then, they saw more Galra ships flying towards them from the surface.

Sandra: "Ate you in or out?"

Coran: "Fine. Fire in the hole!"

Sandra: "Hopefully, not literally."

Then, Sandra pushed the button, causing the pod to take off in a much faster speed. With Sandra, Hunk, and Coran stuck on their seats appearing as if they'd gone through warp speed, they watched as they got close to the Galra ships. Then, they blasted through the hole in a fiery inferno before flying away from the Balmera.

Hunk: "Whoo-hoo! We did it!"

* * *

Later in the ship, Hunk noticed Sandra's shaking fist.

Sandra: "It was all his fault. He had to be the reason they're here in the first place."

Then, she slammed her fist onto the pod's controls, worrying Coran.

Sandra: "I should've shot him dead when I had the chance!"

Hunk could tell she was extremely upset and tried to comfort her.

Hunk: "Yeah. I know how you're feeling. I kinda hate the guy now, too."

Coran: "Yes, but that's not a way a Paladin acts. They do, they'll instantly be seen as the very enemy they're trying to stop. You are strong for the choice you made, Sandra."

Sandra felt a little better from Coran's words.

Sandra: "Thanks, Coran. But just let me make one thing clear. Next time I see Rax, he's not going to hear the end of it."

* * *

 **Back to the Present**

* * *

Keith: "So, the Balmera's suffering because of the Galra?"

Sandra: "Worse. Because of Rax."

Hunk and Coran groaned in annoyance.

Hunk: "Seriously. Let it go."

Shiro: "Well, whoever's responsible, we have to get to the Balmera and give them their freedom back."

Zaltron: "The Balmera is a sacred creature of this universe. It must not be defiled, even by my own race."

Belle: "Then it's settled. Once everyone's ready, we set sail for the Balmera."

* * *

At Zarkon's Central Command, Vaxel appeared before Kaecilius in anger.

Kaecilius: "What do you want, Vaxel?"

Vaxel: "What do you think?! I demand POWER!"

Kaecilius, unfazed by his angry shout, spoke to him.

Kaecilius: "And as it happens, I've found a way to reciprocate it."

Then, he showed Vaxel a vial of Dark Quintessence and handed it to him.

Kaecilius: "It'll go to your new armor once it's finished. I trust you will use it wisely."

Vaxel gave a menacing grin in response.


	7. Taking Flight

**Chapter 6:** Taking Flight

At the castle, Jenny and Lance were smiling as they slept by each other in stasis as Hunk grew confused.

Hunk: "I can't tell if they look healthy or not."

Babak: "Neither can I. Those pods were only meant to hold one at a time."

Pidge: "I think he's breathing weird."

Keith was getting impatient and tried to press it to deactivate it.

Keith: "Oh, come on!"

However, Allura stopped him.

Allura: "Not yet! A few more ticks."

Keith: "How much better do you think they're gonna get in a few ticks?"

Pidge: "And what exactly is a tick?"

Allura: "You know, a time slice."

Lapis: "From what Shiro told me, it's known as seconds in his world."

Allura: "What is a 'second?'"

Then, Pidge got out a timer and showed it to Allura.

Pidge: "Like this."

As the clock is ticking, Allura felt unsure.

Allura: "I'm not sure. I think ticks are bigger. Coran, do we have a ticker?"

Coran: "Right here, Princess."

Then, Coran got out the ticket and watched as it counted slightly slower.

Hunk: "I think ticks are a little slower."

Lapis: "Uh, yeah. Allura just said that."

Pidge: "I can't tell. We have to start them at the same time."

Coran: "Okay. Ready, go!"

Then, Pidge and Coran started their timers at the same time, with the theory that ticks are longer proven to be correct as Lapis, Keith, Sandra, and Belle joined in to watch with Shiro trying to see the timers.

Hunk: "Yes! I think we're winning."

As they talked, Zaltron, Babak, and Azix noticed the pod opening with Jenny and Lance waking up.

Keith: "Winning what? The intergalactic time-measuring competition?"

Hunk: "Yes."

Then, as Zaltron held onto Jenny while Azix held onto Lance, the former spoke up.

Zaltron: "They have awakened from their pod."

Hunk: "Wow. Even when you ruin it, I can't help but think that voice is super cool."

At that time, Hunk has finally noticed that Jenny and Lance were awake as she giggled.

Hunk: "Hey, guys!"

Then, he hugged Jenny and Lance as they grunted before he loosened the grip.

Jenny: "How long ago were we out?"

Allura: "We can tell you all about it while you get something to eat. Are you able to walk?"

Lance: "Yeah, but I'm still a little woozy."

Jenny: "That's okay. I'll carry your shoulder."

Lapis giggled at their moment before responding.

Lapis: "Yep. They're okay."

Pidge: "Yep. There she is."

Keith: "Classic."

Later, at the table, Jenny and Lance were sitting beside each other as one of the mice squeaked.

Zaltron: "Were it not for Azix's assistance, Jenny would've been made victim to a fate worse than death."

Pidge: "Well, she wouldn't have been able to use those powers if you didn't help reverse-engineer the Dark Quintessence."

Jenny: "Wow. I gotta say thanks, everybody, for working so hard to keep me alive. Sounds like Lapis and Pidge did more than Keith, though."

Keith felt hurt by that.

Keith: "I punched Varek!"

Lance: "Yeah, when she was trying to fight off the Dark Quintessence that was poisoning her."

Lapis: "Touché."

Lance: "So, what happened to Kaecilius, Haxxus, and Sendak?"

Allura: "Kaecilius escaped Zaltron, but Haxxus and Sendak are frozen in a cryo-pod. We're keeping them here in the Castle."

Lapis immediately felt offended.

Lapis: "What? Why?!"

Allura: "I agree that wasn't my first call, but they're too dangerous to be set free. Besides, we might be able to get some information about Kaecilius and/or Zarkon from them."

Lance: "So, what's the plan now?"

Jenny: "I heard the word Balmera when I was still fighting it off. I think we should get as much of those crystals as we are allowed in case something like that happens again."

Hunk: "Well, that's a good idea, but aren't you able to do that with your powers, or whatever?"

Jenny: "Well, yeah, kinda. But it takes a lot out of me. I mean, who knows what'll happen the next time I try?"

Hunk: "Oh. Right. You are onto something, though. We're going back there alright, but it's to save Shay and her people."

Jenny and Lance knew it meant one thing.

Lance: "Wow! You are really hung up on this lady."

Jenny: "Sounds like you've really got it bad for her."

Hunk: "No, it's not like that. Look, guys, when you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home— they've been under his thumb for so long, they don't even know what it is to be free. It's up to us to set this right. This is what being a Paladin of Voltron is all about. It's time to man up."

Jenny: "Well, in case you haven't noticed, not all of us can exactly 'man up'."

Hunk: "Well, you know what I mean!"

Pidge grew uneasy about it as Shiro spoke up.

Shiro: "Then let's get moving. Time to go defend the universe."

Then, Pidge decided to speak up.

Pidge: "Wait, I have something to say first. I need to come clean. And I'm afraid this may change the way you all think about me. Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can't 'man up.' I'm a girl. I mean, I can 'man up' because that's just a figure of speech. I don't have to actually be a man to 'man up.' I just have to be tough. But what I'm saying—"

Then, the stunted Lance broke his silence.

Lance: "Wha...?! You're a girl?! How?!"

Allura: "I've known for some time, but I'm glad you've shared it with everyone."

Hunk: "Yeah, I figured."

Keith: "Oh, yeah, me too."

Sandra: "Me three."

Lapis: "Me four."

Babak: "Me five."

Azix: "It was not so hard to notice."

Coran: "Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?"

Jenny: "Well, I'm glad that's out in the open. Now, maybe, I won't get so exhausted trying to keep it a secret."

Belle: "That's a good first step, Pidge."

Shiro: "Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a better Paladin."

Pidge sighed in relief.

Pidge: "It's good to get that off my chest. Now, let's launch this Castle-ship!"

Lance grew shocked about this.

Lance: "Wait, what? Pidge is a girl and the Castle is a ship?"

Jenny: "Uh, yeah. What'd you think, we'd leave Arus on pods? Besides, my grandpop said so, remember?"

Lance: "Oh, yeah. I think I'm still recovering from that bombshell."

Jenny giggled at his dumbfoundedness.

* * *

Later, Allura stood at the center of the hangar as it glowed on her and showed three holographic panels in front of her while Keith and the others watched as five chairs each pertaining to their color rose up before two podiums for Allura's hands rose before she placed her hands on them.

Allura: "Activate interlock."

Coran: "Dynotherms connected."

Babak: "Mega-thrusters are go."

Outside, the Castle of Lions glowed bright blue before Coran spoke up.

Coran: "We are ready to depart Planet Arus on your mark, Princess."

Just then, the monitors turned on and revealed the sky of Arus.

Allura: "Firing main engines for launch."

Then, the Castle started shaking as it broke the ground that was holding it back and took off like a rocket as the Arusians watched the rocket take off from its atmosphere.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Kaecilius' lair, Vaxel beheld a metal armor with sharp teeth and robotic eyes with a round-ended sword to boot. Then, Vaxel turned to Kaecilius before he spoke.

Vaxel: "So, this armor will eradicate Voltron?"

Kaecilius: "Assuming you survive the process."

Vaxel smiled at him as he set foot in the container in front of it, its wires connected to the armor.

Vaxel: "Why, I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Then, Vaxel sat back as the container closed itself as Kaecilius pulled his hands back. Then, he grunted as he thrusted it toward Vaxel, who yelled out as his Quintessence got sent into the armor.

* * *

 _Then, Vaxel felt a dizzying sensation before turning to see two Alteans, one of which is wearing red armor, and a Galra in a lab on a familiar planet. Inside the jar that resides in said lab it was the Dark Quintessence in its primal state that squiggled around as if it was alive. As it did, one Altean spoke to another._

 _Altean 1: "I thought we discussed this. We must exercise caution. We have no idea what is out there."_

 _Altean 2: "The ancients thought that lightning was shot from the bows of the gods until science proved otherwise. We always push into dangerous territory in pursuit of knowledge."_

 _Then, the Dark Quintessence screeched, causing Vaxel to snap back to reality._

* * *

The moment he came to, he slumped to the floor as he panted. When he looked up, he saw Kaecilius, as well as his old body. That was more than enough indication that Vaxel's consciousness now resided in the new armor. He then relayed what he'd witnessed during the process to Kaecilius

Vaxel: "There were mortals... tampering with Dark Quintessence... in pursuit of _knowledge..._ "

As Vaxel hissed at that last word, Kaecilius explained what event that was.

Kaecilius: "A sin that has destroyed Daibazaal long ago. Soon, the Paladins and Voltron will receive that same judgment."

Vaxel: "No. They will not receive the same judgment as Daibazaal. _Their_ judgment... is death."

* * *

Later, Kaecilius and Prorok, a Galra Commander, were called to meet with Zarkon.

Prorok: "Sire, if capturing Voltron is the Empire's number-one priority, then I suggest we begin moving the main fleet toward its last known location posthaste."

Kaecilius: "No point. They'll have no doubt left Arus by then."

Haggar, however, had other plans.

Witch Haggar: "Lord, after many years, the Komar experiment is finally ready. Soon, we could have more Quintessence at our fingertips than ever imagined. We must test it before moving the fleet."

Prorok: "We don't have time for any more of your magic. We must move our ships now."

Witch Haggar: "Voltron is the most powerful weapon ever created. His puny ships will never be up to the task. We must be well prepared for our next encounter."

Kaecilius: "Why even bother with Voltron at all? It wouldn't have existed were it not for Alfor's arrogance."

At this statement, Zarkon slammed his claws into the throne, causing an echo that told them to be silent.

Zarkon: "I know better than anyone the power of Voltron, as well as what it proves. Haggar has my trust. We will perform her test."

Kaecilius felt it to be bittersweet at this point. He was happy that they're focusing on a task other than Voltron, yet he hated that they'll focus on it anyway once they've finished.

* * *

Later, Prorok talked with Kaecilius and Thace.

Prorok: "The witch has his ear."

Kaecilius: "And for good reason. Both of them possess powers you can't comprehend, as do I and my Drule Army."

Prorok: "Don't be so smug just because you have all the power, Kaecilius."

Kaecilius growled at Prorok before he spoke.

Prorok: "Thace, keep sending our offer out to any scum between Planet Arus and Balmera X-95-Vox. I'll capture Voltron on my own."

Kaecilius: "Better yet, you could leave that task to my friend here..."

Then, Prorok turned behind him where Kaecilius pointed to see Vaxel in his new Robeast armor walking toward them.

Prorok: "C-Commander Vaxel! I didn't expect you to..."

Suddenly, Vaxel extended a black and purple whip from the top of his right arm and snatched Prorok before gripping him by the armor.

Vaxel: "No more words. Remain in your position. I have matters I must attend to."

Then, Vaxel chucked Prorok to the floor as he walked away.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Paladins were flying towards the path to the Balmera.

Hunk: "Okay, so, when we get there, what do you think? Do we just roll up and, like, start blasting? Or do we have some kind of public address system, like, 'Attention, Galras, this is Voltron. Turn yourselves in'?"

Hunk looked left to right for everyone's response before he spoke again as no one else talked.

Hunk: "No. Blasting, right?"

Keith: "Hunk, calm down. And, yes, blasting."

Shiro: "It's our first big rescue mission. He's excited."

Then, Pidge and Jenny joined in.

Pidge: "Excited to see his new girlfriend."

Jenny: "Yeah! You're so into her!"

Hunk was caught off guard and defended himself.

Hunk: "She's not my girlfriend! She's just a rock that I met and I admire very much."

Just then, the alarm blared.

Shiro: "What is it? Are we being attacked?"

Coran: "No, it seems to be a distress beacon."

Lapis: "From where?"

Allura: "It's coming from a nearby moon. Apparently, a ship has lost power."

Pidge: "I wonder who it is."

Sandra and Hunk were impatient.

Sandra: "Whoever it is will have to wait."

Hunk: "Shay has first priority. We can check back on them when we're done."

Sandra heard this and grew strangely infatuated with his fixation on Shay.

Sandra: "Wow. You really are obsessed with her."

Hunk: "I'm not obsessed! I'm just... concerned is all."

Allura: "The Paladin Code states that we must help all those in need."

Belle: "So that means whether you like it or not, we have to go by the book."

Jenny was all the more excited about it.

Jenny: "Cool! This is like some sort of Space Cop show I saw once!"

Lance: "Coran, do we have a siren we can turn on?"

Coran: "Uh, no, but we could record you making a siren noise and broadcast that to them."

Lance grew happy about that.

Lance: "Perfect!"

Just as Lance tried to imitate a siren, Jenny placed her hand over his mouth before speaking.

Jenny: "Nope! Sorry, Lance, but you're not exactly siren-material."

Lance: "Aw!"

* * *

As the Castle reached orbit, it blew the sand and dust on two aliens, one a blue humanoid one and a yellow one, and a robot. Then, Allura spoke through the speakers.

Allura: "Attention, damaged craft, this is Princess Allura. We are coming to assist you."

As the ship shifted to a 90 degree angle upwards, it used the boosters to land safely with one of the aliens complimenting in the majesty of the Castle of Lions.

Unknown: "Whoa. Nice ship."

Inside the ship, Allura turned to Coran.

Allura: "Stay aboard and try to get as many of our systems clear of the Dark Quintessence as you can Babak is keeping an eye on Azix and the others with Zaltrin if you need their help. We'll see who hailed us."

Coran: "Yes, Princess."

With that, Allura and the others took a landing pod and used it to get to the surface and meet up with the aliens.

Unknown: "You don't know how glad we are to see some friendly faces. Most folks don't want to get tangled up with anyone who's on the run from the Galra."

Then, he noticed Lapis and grew suspicious.

Unknown: "Wait. Are you guys with the Empire?"

Lapis: "N-No. We're actually fighting Zarkon."

Unknown: "Oh, good."

Lapis: "We can tell you must be doing the same."

Unknown: "Well, I don't think Zarkon is exactly quaking in his boots at the three of us, but we do what we can. I'm Rolo. This is Nyma, and our cyber-unit, Beezer."

Nyma: "Hi."

Having laid eyes on Nyma and Beezer, Lance and Pisge found themselves entranced with them, with the exception of Jenny.

Jenny: "Uh, guys? Why are you just—"

Suddenly, they darted towards the robot and alien of their desires.

Pidge: "Cool robot!"

Lance: "Hi! Name's Lance."

Then, Jenny puffed out smoke from her nose before vice gripping Lance by his shoulder, breaking it in the process and dragging him away.

Jenny: "Not today of all days, lover boy."

Shiro: "Was your ship damaged in a fight?"

Rolo: "Yeah. We've really been through it with the Galra. Parts are hard to come by. Luckily, we were able to limp to this moon about a week ago. If you didn't pick up our distress signal, I—"

Allura: "We're happy to help. I am Princess Allura of Altea, and from now on, you won't be alone fighting the Galra. You'll have the Paladins of Voltron by your side."

Rolo drew a breath from his nose before looking behind him to see Lance chatting it up with Nyma as Jenny waved her hand in between them, trying to get their attention getting angrier every second they ignore her while Pidge flopped Beezer's ears around.

Rolo: "Okay."

Shiro: "I don't think they've heard of us."

Belle thought it was obvious.

Belle: "Really? What gave it away?"

Keith: "It has been ten thousand years."

Sandra: "Yeah. The odds of anyone remembering Voltron are, well, 10,000 to 1."

Lance tried to explain to Nyma as Jenny stopped waving her hand in frustration.

Lance: "Voltron? Five robot lions that combine into this big robot... guy?"

Rolo: "Sounds impressive. I'd love to see it. Or him. Them."

Jenny, desperate to put as much distance between Lance and Nyma as possible, wanted to get back to the task at hand.

Jenny: "Why don't we just get to work on your ship? I'm sure we all have places to be."

Rolo: "Sure."

Then, Rolo opened up the side of the ship.

Rolo: "Pretty much our whole flaxum assembly is shot. I don't know what kind of extra parts you carry in this rig of yours. I've never seen anything quite like it."

Allura: "I'm sure we can get you back up and running. Give Hunk a list of what you need. Coran and Babak can show you where to find it."

As she spoke, Lance flexed his muscles and signaled Nyma to call him later as if asking for a number, to which she giggled, causing Jenny to grunt before she tripped Lance and replied sarcastically.

Jenny: "Oops. Sorry."

Shiro saw this and clearly wasn't happy with it as he gave her a glare, causing Jenny to feel bad. Meanwhile, Hunk still wasn't quite sure.

Hunk: "Okay."

Rolo: "We'll go with you. Don't want you to have to carry all that yourself. Come on, guys."

However, Hunk stopped Rolo, much to Jenny's relief.

Hunk: "Uh, I don't think so. You can just wait out here."

Jenny: "I think _Nyma_ should wait outside, too."

Allura: "Hunk, Jenny, don't be rude."

Lance figured out what was going on.

Lance: "Wait a tick. Are you... jealous?"

Jenny snapped at him like a twig.

Jenny: "I'm not jealous! It's just... did you forget what happened the last time people waltzed in the castle? I was almost killed, remember?"

Lance grew mortified of remembering that and grew dismal.

Lance: "Oh, yeah."

Shiro: "Jenny's right. Sorry, but we have to be cautious."

As Jenny smiled and made a stink face at Nyma mocking her, Rolo spoke to Hunk.

Rolo: "Hey, I don't take it personal. That's how it is out here. You've got to look out for your own."

Then, Beezer printed out a list of supplies before Rolo took it and handed it to Hunk.

Rolo: "You're doing a good job, big man."

Hunk replied back to him sarcastically, not quite sure about Rolo.

Hunk: "Yeah, thanks."

* * *

Later, a campfire was set up with the Paladins, Allura, Rolo, and Beezer sitting around it as he told his story.

Rolo: "My planet was destroyed by the Galra for some Komar Experiment test and I was taken captive."

Lapis: "Wait, the Komar?"

Keith: "What exactly is the Komar?"

Lapis: "I've only heard rumors in the prison walls, but... the Komar is a project they're working on to completely rob an entire planet of Quintessence."

Everyone at the campfire were shocked to hear that.

Keith: "Is that what happened? Your planet was robbed of Quintessence?"

Rolo: "Yeah. I managed to escape, but not before I lost something."

He then pulled up a pants leg to show he has a metal prosthetic leg. Shiro and Belle could relate to that.

Shiro: "I know exactly how that feels."

Belle: "Well, at least you didn't get your mind wiped."

Then, Hunk and Sandra spoke up.

Hunk: "Well, I hope there are some parts in here that'll fit."

They turned to stool and saw he didn't respond.

Sandra: "Uh, hello? Your parts are right here?"

Rolo: "Great! Thanks."

Sandra grunted in exasperation at Rolo's words.

Sandra: "Who does that guy think he is?"

Allura: "So, what can you tell us about Zarkon and Kaeculius' forces? Where are they concentrated?"

Rolo: "Well, his command ship sits right in the center of the Empire. He mostly calls the shots from there and has his minions do the work, depending on who's closest. This is the territory of a real nasty bugger named Sendak."

Keith: "Oh, we've met."

Rolo: "But not even that guy holds the candle to pure savagery like Vaxel. He's the reason I lost my leg."

Sandra overheard this and grew sorry for him.

Sandra: "Oh. Sorry to hear that."

Rolo: "Nah, it's alright. It's gonna take more than that to keep me down."

Shiro: "How far are we from the center?"

Rolo: "We're way out on the fringes."

Just then, Hunk interrupted.

Hunk: "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I think you guys are kind of keeping Rolo from working. It's just that we're kind of in a hurry. A hero named Shay saved my life, and I swore I would return and do the same for her and her people. You understand."

Rolo: "Sure. Sorry."

Then, he patted Hunk on the shoulder before walking to the parts as he looked at Rolo suspiciously.

* * *

Later, as Rolo dig through for parts, Shiro talked with Hunk and Jenny.

Shiro: "Guys, we're going to get going soon, but I think Rolo might have some information that could be helpful to us."

Jenny: "Information, schminformation. I'm not letting my boyfriend anywhere near that seductress!"

Hunk: "Not for nothing, but I don't trust this guy as far as I can throw him. I think we ought to leave him with parts and just say, 'Adiós, amigo.'"

Then, Rolo spoke up.

Rolo: "Hey, bud! Sorry, but do you think you could hunt down a length of thermal pipe about yay long?"

Hunk groaned before he went right to it.

Hunk: "On the way."

As Hunk walked over to get the part, Shiro talked to Rolo.

Shiro: "So, are there more freedom fighters? Any kind of organized resistance to the Galra?"

Rolo: "Only folks who haven't been colonized yet, or the lucky few, like us, who managed to escape somehow."

Keith: "Well, we're going to change all that."

Rolo: "That's good to hear, but I've got to warn you, it's pretty bad out there. You don't know what you're up against."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny noticed Lance with Nyma and snarled before Lapis spoke to her.

Lapis: "Jenny? What's up with you?"

Jenny: "None of your beeswax."

Then, Jenny stomped over to Lance and Nyma before hiding behind a rock. Lance talked with Nyma, both unaware that Jenny is spying on them.

Lance: "I mean, there are only eight of us in the entire universe, so I guess you could say it's kind of a big deal."

Nyma: "I don't understand. The lions are ships? Are they, like, flying statues that you ride on?"

Jenny overheard that and whisper-shouted.

Jenny: "Flying statues?! Ugh, who does she think she is?!"

Lance: "No, no, no. They're magic, but also super scientific and advanced. And they fly crazy fast and have all these incredible weapons. Really, the entire Castle is just insane. I wish you could see it."

Nyma: "Yes, it's too bad we're not allowed inside. I would love a tour from one of the knights."

Jenny heard this and shouted.

Jenny: "WHAT?!"

Lance and Nyma heard this and looked to where the voice came from, but didn't see anyone there as Jenny hid herself in time.

Nyma: "But I guess the big one is in charge, huh? You have to obey his orders?"

Lance: "Who, Hunk?"

Lance scoffed as he took Nyma's hands and went in the Castle.

Lance: "I don't have to listen to him!"

As Nyma giggled, Jenny immediately followed them undetected, except to Belle who could easily tell what's going on as she whispered to her sisters who was repeatedly dashing from one rock to another.

Belle: "What do you think you're doing?"

Jenny: "What does it look like? I'm trying to get some dirt on Nyma. She's not good enough for him."

Belle: "Jenny, just stop and let this go."

Jenny: "And let her take Lance away from me?! Never!"

Belle usually figures out whether or not she's jealous, even when she doesn't admit it. But she also knew that there's no compromise with her at this state. If it gets worse, it might have to come to confrontation. But, until then, Belle will let her cool off.

Belle: "Alright, fine. Just don't say I didn't try to help."

* * *

Inside the Castle, Lance was showing Nyma the hangar much to Jenny's chagrin.

Nyma: "This place is incredible!"

Lance: "Yeah, I guess. You get used to it."

Nyma: "But it's so gigantic. It must take you forever to get to your lion."

Lance: "Ooh, you'd be surprised."

When he opened the zip liner and went in with Nyma holding onto him, Jenny fumed like a tea kettle with steam coming out of her ears.

Jenny: "Lance McClain, when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna throttle your air supply senseless!"

Then, Jenny darted away from the hangar as she made a break for one of the pods.

* * *

Meanwhile, as they zipped to the lion, Nyma laughed as she held onto Lance, who blushed from it. When they got inside the lion, Nyma was in the chair while she held onto Lance bridal style.

Lance: "Pretty slick, right?"

Nyma: "Unbelievable! Take me on a ride around the moon?"

Lance blushed at this and tried to get out of the situation, as he also remembered how worried Jenny would be.

Lance: "We should probably get back to the others."

Nyma: "Yeah, you're right. Maybe Keith will give me a ride."

Hearing that, Lance immediately changed his mind.

Lance: "No! Hold on a second. I mean, what's the point of having the lion of you can't enjoy it, right? Giddy-up, buddy!"

As the Blue Lion took off from the castle, Jenny saw this and ground her teeth against each other as she took off after them before shouting.

Jenny: "You boyfriend swindler!"

Outside, Hunk and Sandra saw the Blue Lion and the pod taking off and easily deduced what it meant.

Hunk: "Oh, Lance!"

Sandra: "Oh, boy. Jenny's really gonna let them have it."

Rolo: "Aw, let them have their fun. Thanks to you guys, this thing's just about ready, so we're going to be on our way soon. Too many light years on that guy, I guess."

Hunk and Sandra grew suspicious about this.

Hunk: "Yeah."

Sandra: "I guess."

* * *

Meanwhile, Zarkon's command center floated above a peaceful world as four Druids each floated above the mechanism that prepared the Komar. Above the center of it was Haggar.

Witch Haggar: "Begin the ritual."

Suddenly, the platforms the four Druids were on glowed purple.

Witch Haggar: "Druids of the four directions, join us!"

Then, the platforms shot at the center in which Haggar prepared a ball that expanded as the beans hit it. Then, Haggar yelled as she gave it a dark black hue on the inside and shot it at the mechanism, causing it to spread throughout the mechanism and power up the ship before it summoned a giant black orb that began calling forth the blue light towards it, but at a price. As a result, it drained the planet of life as the Quintessence that supported it is now in a jar.

Witch Haggar: "The Komar experiment was a success. We have gained an entire planet's Quintessence, a feat that would have normally taken us years."

Zarkon: "Most Impressive. This will revolutionize the way we advance throughout the galaxy. Mining and colonizing planets is a thing of the past. With this much power available at our whim, we can now spend all of our time hunting down and capturing Voltron."

* * *

Back at the moon, Nyma showed Lance around as the envious Jenny followed them.

Nyma: "Look, a kinetic spring! Let's land over there."

As the Blue Lion grazed over the spring, it resulted in the drops of it making a rainbow. Unfortunately, that caused Jenny's pod to become covered in the rainbow as well.

Jenny: "Aw, come on!"

Nyma: "The minerals reflect off the water, making a rainbow."

Lance: "Wow. Is there anything you don't know?"

Then, Nyma pushed a button on the bracelet causing it to beep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rolo got the signal and got out of the ship's interior.

Rolo: "I think this thing is just about ready for a test flight. Beezer, come co-pilot for me. Be back in a tick."

Then, as they went in the ship, the Paladins looked in confusion as the ship turned on and fired its thrusters to a certain area around the moon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny had just landed on the moon and opened the rainbow covered pod as she coughed and swayed the air away before hiding behind a tree adjacent to them.

Lance: "So, you want to see how fast I can climb this tree?"

Jenny gasped as she knew this moment was a callback to when they'd first met as children, back when she was seven years old.

 _At the park, they stood by a tree and looked at it._

 _Lance: "You wanna see how fast I can climb this tree?"_

 _Jenny: "Oh, you're on!"_

 _Then, the two of them climbed up on the tree. Suddenly, when Jenny couldn't get the right footing she slipped before Lance caught her by her hand and helped her up._

 _Lance: "That was close, huh? Come on."_

 _Then, kept his hand on Jenny as they scaled the tree and were finally able to climb onto the branches before they peeked up through the leaves and saw a beautiful sunset._

 _Jenny: "Wow! It's so pretty."_

 _Lance: "Yeah. It really is."_

 _Jenny: "So, who won?"_

 _Lance forgot about that and stammered._

 _Lance: "I, uh, don't know. Who got to the leaves first?"_

 _Jenny giggled before she offered a solution._

 _Jenny: "Let's just say_ we _won and call it a tie, okay?"_

* * *

Then, she snapped back to reality before she saw Lance with Nyma, who giggled at him.

Nyma: "Aw, you are cute. Let me show you something. Give me your hand."

Then, Jenny's face turned red as she blew more steam out of her ears. Suddenly, what happened next, wasn't quite what Jenny expected as Nyma grabbed his hand and placed it in an energy cuff that chained him to a tree.

Lance: "Whoa. This is kind of..."

Then, Lance felt a gust of wind and saw that their ship is capturing the Blue Lion with Beezer dancing around as Rolo smiled. Then, Nyma left for the ship as Lance tried to figure out the situation.

Lance: "Nyma, what's going on?"

Nyma: "Sorry, Lance. Maybe we'll meet again."

As she went up on the bungee cord that lifted her into the ship, Lance looked sorrowful as they took off with the lion. Then, once they've taken off, Lance looked to see his helmet just out of reach for him.

Lance: "Oh, quiznak."

Then, the helmet rolled over to him, much to Lance's surprise. Lance looked to see Jenny by the other tree.

Lance: "Jenny? Oh, thank goodness. You've gotta help me out of this."

However, Jenny didn't feel he deserved it.

Jenny: "And why should I?"

Lance: "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Jenny: "What do you think? You left me for that witch! I should've had a tour of the Castle! I should've been on that zip line with you! I should've been across the river with you! But most of all, I should've climbed that tree with you, like we did 10 years ago!"

Then, Jenny began to shed tears, much to Lance's realization about the seriousness of his decision to spend time with Nyma. Though, in fairness, he never considered Nyma to be that way. All the same, he felt all the more worthless just seeing that he hurt Jenny like this.

Lance: "Jenny. I-I had no idea. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jenny retorted back at him as she wiped the tears from her eyes, unable to contain the hurt in her voice.

Jenny: "Well, guess what? You did. You can get yourself out of that tree, for all I care. I'm through with you."

Then, Jenny walked away from Lance toward her pod as she shed tears. Then, as the pod flew off toward the direction that ship took off to, Lance felt all the more ashamed. He had one chance with her and he blew it. The fact he didn't know made it even worse.

Lance: "Argh! What is wrong with me?!"

Then, he noticed his helmet that Jenny kicked to him earlier. Then, he knelt down to the helmet and got an idea.

Lance: "You may be through with me, Jenny. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up on you."

* * *

Meanwhile, the others were waiting for Rolo.

Pidge: "How many ticks have they been gone?"

Allura: "I don't know. I hope they didn't break down again."

Hunk: "Something ain't right."

Sandra: "Yeah. I haven't seen Jenny come back either. Something has to be up."

Just then, they received a transmission from Lance.

Lance: "Guys? Hello? Little help?"

Shiro: "Lance? Lance! Are you all right? What's going on?"

Lance: "Listen to me. You have to go after Jenny. She could get hurt!"

Lapis: "Why? What happened?"

Lance: "Look, Nyma chained me to a tree."

Hunk: "I knew it!"

Lance: "Then, Rolo and Nyma stile the Blue Lion."

Hunk: "I knew it!"

Belle: "What about Jenny, though?"

Lance: "She... she dumped me before going after them herself. She was really hurt, all because I was such an idiot."

Sandra saw that coming a mile away. To her, any romance with Lance is doomed, just like Romeo and Juliet.

Sandra: "I knew it!"

Shiro: "Where are they?"

Lance: "They went just outside the atmosphere!"

Hunk/Sandra: "I knew it!"

Lance: "You guys go on without me! I'll find a way to get out of this and help!"

Keith: "Copy that, Lance."

Hunk: "Uh, I never trusted those guys right from the beginning!"

* * *

At the zip line, as he went to his vehicle that led him to the Yellow Lion, Hunk rambled on about how he saw it coming.

Hunk: "I mean, okay, at first, it was just like a feeling in my gut, you know? But when I was replacing that thermal pipe, the pipe was cracked, but none of the hardware around it was damaged."

Keith: "Okay, we get it!"

Hunk: "I mean, if the thermal pipe is cracked, then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly should be totally roasted."

Sandra: "Okay! We get it."

Hunk: "We should've had to replace the entire undercarriage of that reactor. So, right then, I was, like, positive. Foul play."

All: "Okay, we get it!"

Lance wasn't any more excited than the rest, but he was more annoyed than the rest with Jenny's life at stake.

Lance: "Just shut the quiznak up and get Jenny back!"

Hunk: "Geez. Touchy."

Then, the lions took off for Jenny and Rolo as they roared.

* * *

As Rolo's ship drifted in space, Rolo commenced transmission with Prorok.

Rolo: "Commander Prorok, my name is Rolo. I understand you're offering a reward to anyone helping capture the Voltron Lions."

Prorok: "That's correct. Do you know where they are?"

Rolo: "I know where the blue one is. It's in my ship."

Prorok: "Excellent. Bring it to me and you'll have your reward immediately."

Rolo: "Just a tick. My friends and I have a bit of a checkered past. Some stolen merchandise from the Galra Empire may have fallen into our possession without us knowing about it."

Prorok: "Well, I'm sure that a full pardon can be arranged for the brave souls who bring Emperor Zarkon a Voltron Lion. Is that all?"

Nyma: "We'll take the reward, too."

Prorok: "Of course."

Rolo: "All right. We're on our way."

After the transmission ended, Rolo cracked his knuckles before speaking.

Rolo: "I almost feel sorry for those Voltron folks. Seemed like a nice bunch."

Nyma: "If you're feeling guilty, you can turn yourself in. Stealing from Zarkon carries a life sentence."

Rolo: "They don't seem that nice."

* * *

Far away at a Galra ship, Vaxel walked toward Prorok.

Vaxel: "He said his name was Rolo. To think it was only a Quintant ago when I robbed him of his leg. Such a splendid time."

Prorok: "Are you sure he's the same one?"

Vaxel: "Of course. I never forget a face, even that of a bounty hunter."

* * *

Later, Rolo's ship blared its alarm and opened up to reveal that Jenny is directly behind them and could easily see her angry tear-stained face.

Rolo: "No way."

Jenny: "You've hurt me for the last time! Now, you're going to pay!"

Rolo: "I've got an idea."

Nyma could easily tell she meant business and didn't want to poke the bear.

Nyma: "Are you sure you know what you're doing? There's no way we can outrun that pod."

Rolo: "Not in the open. Good thing the Zorlar asteroid belt is right up here. I know that like the back of my hand."

As Jenny's pod gave chase, it evaded the asteroids around them. However, the lions themselves were stuck.

Pidge: "We'll never get through this asteroid field!"

Hunk: "Maybe I can jus bust through!"

However, when he tried, he only succeeded in bonking it forwards towards another asteroid before it hit another like a stack of dominoes.

Hunk: "Nope. That was wrong. That was a bad idea."

Shiro: "Keith, Sandra, you're the only ones who could possibly fly through this. We need you, guys. Get in there and flush them out."

Keith: "You got it. See you on the other side."

Then, the Red Lion went after Rolo's ship narrowly avoiding the asteroids while jumping into them like parkour. As it scaled the asteroid, Keith and Sandra saw Jenny's pod desperate to collide into Rolo's ship as Jenny showed a look of extreme anger. Sandra spoke through the transmission to reason with her.

Sandra: "Jenny, you have to let this go!"

Jenny: "After what they did to me?! No deal!"

Keith grunted in frustration as he engaged the Red Lion's boosters and shoved the pod out of the way, much to Jenny's fury as she put her focus back on Rolo's ship.

Meanwhile, Rolo saw the Red Lion as well.

Rolo: "No way. Get on the blasters. Take them down!"

Nyma: "Copy."

Then, Beezer beeped as he and Nyma began firing blasters at Keith, Sandra, and Jenny. However, they were swift enough to evade the blaster fire before Jenny activated the pod's weapon systems and started going crazy, firing its weapons at Rolo, causing him to panic.

Rolo: "What's made her so crazy?!"

Nyma: "She's gaining on you!"

Rolo grunted as he swerved the ship away. However, that didn't work as Jenny fired a large laser beam at the asteroid from the undercarriage of the pod, causing the asteroid to disassemble and end up having a hole in its center, one which Jenny went through before she took out the turrets with her own and caused the machinery inside to lose grip on the Blue Lion's barrier.

Nyma: "Blasters are offline!"

Rolo: "We've got to get out of here!"

Then, Jenny spoke on their transmission.

Jenny: "No one is leaving! Not until you burn!"

Then, Jenny charged her laser before firing it at one of their engines, causing it to spin out of control as Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer braced for impact. Then, Jenny began charging another one to go for the kill.

Jenny: "One more should put you out of my misery."

Just then, Belle's voice spoke to her in a worried, if not angry tone.

Belle: "JENNIFER STARDUST SHAYBON, STOP!"

Jenny heard her voice and stopped herself.

Jenny: "S-Sis? You said my whole name..."

Belle: "What do you think you're doing?!"

Jenny: "I can't let them get away! They have to pay!"

Belle: "For what? This isn't the way a Paladin acts and you know it!"

Jenny: "Well, what else am I supposed to do, just let them walk away?!"

Then, Jenny broke down in tears as she explained.

Jenny: "They've hit me way too close to home! Nyma, she... she took Lance from me... He was supposed to be with me..."

Belle: "I know you're hurting, but that won't change anything. Just let it go."

Jenny grunted as she tried to let go of her rage before she relaxed and pulled the laser back as she took a deep breath.

Belle: "Are you alright?"

Jenny weakly replied as she tried to wipe her tears away.

Jenny: "Yeah. I'm alright..."

Belle: "Good. Just let us handle this."

With that, Jenny stayed back as Keith seized the ship before the other lions swarmed around it.

Keith: "Yeah!"

Keith then chuckled before he spoke to Lance.

Keith: "Hey, Lance, Jenny got your lion back."

Lance: "She did?"

Keith: "Yeah, she really went crazy on them. She could've vaporized them, too, but she didn't."

Lance: "Phew! Thank you, Keith. Now, can I talk to Jenny?"

Keith knew it was a touchy subject and tried to stay out of it.

Keith: "What's that? I, uh... You're cutting out. I can't... I can't hear you."

Lance: "Keith, I'm serious! She needs to know how sorry I am!"

Then, Jenny spoke to him.

Jenny: "You don't need to tell me. I know."

Lance grew relieved before he spoke to her.

Lance: "So, are we cool?"

Jenny: "We'll talk about that later."

* * *

Later, they've landed on the moon where Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer we're forced to stay there as Jenny's ruthless acrimony left their ship permanently stuck.

Keith: "Since your ship really doesn't work now, you'll have to wait here for a rescue."

Rolo: "Thanks for sparing our lives."

Jenny: "Whatever. It's more than you deserve."

Hunk: "Now that these guys are dealt with, let's get to the Balmera and save Shay and her family."

Sandra: "But not Rax, right?"

Rolo: "You may not believe this, but I hope you do stop Zarkon. It's a lifetime of fighting the Galra that led me to where I am today."

Jenny: "And I almost killed you for it."

Rolo: "Yeah. If I had it to do all over again, though, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Then, they took off for the ship and left them.

* * *

Later, at the Castle, Lance walked to their room as he heard Jenny's sobbing on a pillow before he knocked. Having heard this, Jenny replied back, trying to hold back her sobs.

Jenny: "Yeah?"

Lance: "Jenny. It's-It's me."

Jenny didn't sound pleased to see him, as if the sobs weren't enough indication.

Jenny: "Oh. You."

Lance: "Can I come in?"

Jenny took a deep breath before answering.

Jenny: "Fine."

Then, Lance walked in to see Jenny on her bed, her pillow stained in her tears.

Jenny: "What do you want?"

Lance: "Look, I know I did you wrong. I can't deny that, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm really sorry for what I've put you through. The truth is, I do love you. I'm just... I'm just like all the other boys. I get distracted every time I see a beautiful girl."

Jenny: "So, why even talk to me then? You probably don't care, right?"

Lance: "What? Why would you say that? Of course, I care about you. Like I said, I get distracted, but that doesn't mean I love you any less."

Hearing this, Jenny grew surprised before being doubtful.

Jenny: "Wait. You... you're saying you actually love me?"

Lance: "Of course I do."

Jenny: "Well, how am I supposed to trust that? These days, words aren't good enough, Lance. I mean, how am I supposed to know you won't just turn your back on me for another gi—"

Before she could finish, Lance pressed his lips against hers, causing her to sport a surprised look before she welcomed it and breathed on him. When they parted their mouths, Lance answered.

Lance: "Is that proof enough for you? I could've asked you first, but... you needed to know. Sure, I hang around other ladies, but I haven't forgotten who my girlfriend is. I never have, and now, I never will. Because you're my first kiss. And you're the only one of them who deserves it, especially after everything you've been through. But I... ugh, I can't blame you if you don't want me anymore."

Then, Lance heard a sniffle and saw Jenny smiling at him with tears in her eyes.

Jenny: "No, don't go. Please. I... I want you to stay with me."

Then, she hugged Lance as she sobbed on his shoulder. As she did, Lance placed his arm around her back as she took a breath and closed her eyes, letting everything else fade away but the two of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the moon, Rolo and Nyma noticed a Galra ship landing and prepared themselves only to see a walking Galra commander armor walking toward them. Rolo recognizes that soul in the armor.

Rolo: "Vaxel..."

Then, Vaxel spoke to him.

Vaxel: "Long time no see, old friend."

Suddenly, Vaxel launches a purple whip from his right arm, snagged him and pulled him into his grip.

Vaxel: "Where are the Paladins of Voltron?"

Rolo: "I don't see why I should tell you."

Vaxel: "Because if you don't..."

Then, Vaxel pointed his arm cannon toward Nyma and Beezer as it prepares a black and purple light.

Vaxel: "They'll end up corpses, just like your race."

Rolo knew well enough what it could do and stopped him.

Rolo: "Okay, stop! I'll tell you!"

Then, Vaxel ceased his cannon and turned to him.

Rolo: "They just went to the Balmera. To save Shay and her family."

Vaxel smiled before chucking him to the floor.

Vaxel: "Pleasure doing business with you."

With that, Vaxel went back to the ship, leaving Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer on the moon. However, Rolo knew there was more to it.

Rolo: "That's it? I know, you Vaxel. There's more to it, isn't there?"

Vaxel: "Well, I doubt you won't have any rescue coming your way. There's nothing more to it. And even if there was, the end is near, my old, treacherous friend. What a shame..."

Then, Vaxel's mouth closed itself as the armor went over it.

Vaxel: "...that you are unable to see it."

As Vaxel walked away, Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer watched as he went back to the ship.

Meanwhile, at Zarkon's command center, Haggar and his Druids surrounded a purple lizard with green eyes.

Witch Haggar: "All this Quintessence will turn you into the strongest, most horrifying fighter ever created. One that even Voltron will not be able to defeat."

 **A/N: So, what did you think? Just thought you should know, my Jenny Shaybon would be different from the one in the series. Although, it's unknown if she'll appear next season, I would like to recommend Erica Mendez to be her voice actress. This idea just sounds really cool to me. Enjoy. :)**


	8. Family Matters

**Chapter 7:** Family Matters

Far away outside the atmosphere of the Balmera, the Paladins were seeing the surface of it as they approached it.

Allura: "We'll be arriving at the Balmera soon. Liberating the Balmerans from Zarkon's grasp will not be easy."

Jenny began wondering about the plan for when they enter.

Jenny: "So, what's the plan here? Do we just go in there and just— 'pew, pew, pew!' and free the prisoners?"

Keith: "What was that?"

Jenny: "You know, a laser gun."

Hunk: "No, Jenny, I think you mean—"

Then, Hunk thrusted his arms back and forth as he imitated the lasers before raising his arms and lowering them before he fired the last one.

Hunk: "Pow!"

Jenny: "Nah, those were laser _cannons_ , tops."

Pidge: "Technically, they're more like— ba-choo, ba-choo, ba-choo!"

Shiro: "Okay, enough with the bad sound effects."

Sandra grew relieved that he said this, as she didn't want to hear anymore of those.

Sandra: "Thank you, Shiro."

Shiro: "Besides, it's more like— blam, blam, blam!"

Keith: "What?"

Jenny: "That's just a normal gun."

Pidge: "You're crazy."

Lance: "No way."

Hunk: "Uh, wrong."

Sandra decided to join in on it, too.

Sandra: "I thought it was a thwap."

Lance/Hunk: "Thwap?"

Then, Sandra slapped Lance and Hunk's faces, causing them to fall to the ground with a red hand print present on their faces.

Sandra: "Thwap."

Allura: "Paladins, focus."

Hunk: "Besides, we can't just shoot at the Galra. This Balmera, it's, like, alive. And from what we've seen, it doesn't look very good."

Hunk was proven correct as the blue color on the outside were much larger than the colors near the center of it through the thermal scan.

Coran: "Yes, it's an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand beast. Stealing its crystals, its very Life force, without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremonies to heal it."

Sandra: "After seeing Shay's people enslaved, it would t surprise me if every planet we see is like this."

Hunk: "On top of that, it made me realize how bad Zarkon really is. And we're the only ones who can stop him."

Belle: "Okay, so we can't go into the tunnels guns blazing. What else can we do?"

Shiro has an idea to accommodate that.

Shiro: "Plan B. We figure out how to draw the Galra up to the surface and battle them out there."

Lapis: "Okay. But how do we lure them out is the real question."

Hunk: "I know. If we attack all of this big mining stuff on the surface, the Galra troops will have to come out to defend it. Then we beat them up, head down to the tunnels, Voltron saves the day."

Keith: "But how will we know how many are left in the tunnels?"

Babak: "The Balmera was often visited and restored by Alteans before Zarkon's hostile takeover. So, it should stand to reason that those with Altean connections should be able to connect with it as well. That means you'll have better luck, Jenny."

Jenny grew a bit doubtful about her abilities.

Jenny: "Yeah, but I don't know how to do it like you guys did it back then. I'm still new to all of this."

Babak: "Well, that's just one suggestion. Fortunately, there's another."

Allura: "We can track the Galra and the Balmerans using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology."

Pidge: "Oh, BLIP Tech!"

Babak grew confused at the words that came out of her mouth as her eyes looked toward him.

Babak: "What is... BLIP Tech?"

Pidge: "It's an acronym."

Babak: "Ah. I see."

Allura: "One of you will need to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors into the drop sensors into the shafts on each side. Then, we'll be able to see where the Galra and the Balmerans are. There are already sensors built into your suits."

Pidge: "I can do it. I just modified the Green Lion with the Invisible Maze's cloaking ability. I should be able to fly around unnoticed."

Then, Coran noticed the source of the mining activity on Balmera.

Coran: "That's their main power generator. If you take that down, it will severely weaken their defenses."

Jenny: "What about you guys?"

Allura: "We'll stay in cloud cover and give tactical support. With the Castle's defenses weakened from the Dark Quintessence, we won't be of much help to you. That is, until after Azix and Zaltron have finished repairing it."

Belle: "So, what's the plan?"

Shiro: "Lapis and I'll take out the power generator. Keith, Jenny, Lance, Hunk, you take out these big mining rigs around the area."

Then, Hunk got excited about the mission all over again.

Hunk: "Yeah! Okay, let's do this! Let's go kick some alien butt!"

* * *

As the Castle entered the Balmera's orbit the Paladins went in their lions as Jenny stood up behind him. Jenny still felt glum about the situation, catching his notice.

Lance: "What's wrong?"

Jenny: "It's just... it's moving way too fast for me."

Lance heard that phrase before and grew scared about what it meant.

Lance: "What?! You're breaking up with me?!"

Jenny: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lance. No, I'm not. I was talking about how fast we had to leave Earth just to be a part of this epic adventure."

Lance: "I thought you liked adventures."

Jenny: "Of course I do. But... what if I can't do the things Allura can do? What then?"

Lance: "Then, I'll still love you."

Jenny smiled from hearing this.

Jenny: "Thanks, but... what if you won't be alive long enough to even do that?"

Lance got the gist of what she was talking about just as Keith spoke up.

Keith: "It's not about what you can't do, Jenny. It's about freeing the prisoners from Zarkon."

Jenny: "Yeah, I know. But still... Wait, were you spying on us?"

As an answer, the Blue Lion took off at great speeds as they charged out of the Castle and down towards the Balmera. Then, the Galra's cannons began to fire at the lions as they swerved around them.

Shiro: "This is it. Get your heads in the game. Remember, the Balmera is a living creature. Make sure you pinpoint only the Galra installations and not its surface."

As they broke formation, Pidge swerved toward the installations.

Pidge: "Initiating cloak."

Then, Pidge turned on the Green Lion's cloaking while dropping the BLIP Tech into the tunnel before it opened up. Then, Lance fired at the cannons with his Lion's tail as Hunk collided with a few of them. Shiro and Lapis, in the meantime, were trying to come up with a way to disassemble them quickly.

Lapis: "That cannon's going to be a problem."

Shiro: "How do I take this thing down?"

Then, the monitors showed the Black and Violet Lion's Heads with a dual-bladed sword in their mouths.

Lapis: "Huh?"

Shiro: "What's that?"

Lapis: "It looks like some sort of jaw blade. My lion has that too."

Shiro: "Jaw blade? Okay. Let's do this!"

Then, the Black and Violet Lion's eyes glowed yellow before roaring and summoning the jaw blade, slicing through the installations swiftly, creating multiple explosions not long after.

Meanwhile, Pidge had dropped the last of the BLIP Tech in the tunnels.

Pidge: "All sensors delivered."

All that was left was the giant flower-shaped cannon. Keith evaded its blast before firing magma at it, melting the weapon.

Keith: "Whoa! Did you guys just see that? I got fire power!"

Lance grew jealous of that.

Lance: "Hey! I want that!"

However, it turned out not to be the best plan as the weapon broke apart and started to fall.

Keith: "Oh, no!"

Seeing this, Hunk went underneath the weapon and held it up with difficulty.

Hunk: "Hey, we can't let this thing hurt the Balmera."

As he lifted it up and grunted while doing so, Jenny heard the Blue Lion's voice, as did Lance.

Jenny: "I think our lion knows what to do!"

Lance: "Well, let's hope it works."

Then, the Blue Lion charged toward the weapon and fired a cool blue laser at it, only instead of melting it, it began freezing it, encasing it in ice.

Lance: "Aw, snap! These rays are super cool, just like me!"

Jenny drew an indifferent face at this.

Jenny: "I thought you said you wanted fire power."

Shiro: "Great job, team!"

As they landed on the iced weapon, Lapis and Keith noticed the strange silence.

Lapis: "No one's showing up."

Keith: "Where are all the troops? They're not coming to the surface."

Sandra: "But why? There was a whole army of them last time."

Allura: "We've located a hangar full of Galra fighters just below the surface. Someone has to take those out before they can launch."

Belle: "Agreed. We don't exactly want a hornet's nest swarming us at the moment."

Shiro: "They're luring us down, but we have no choice. Keith, Jenny, Lance, you guys hit the hangar. Hunk, Sandra, Lapis, head to the prison to rescue Shay and the other Balmerans. Pidge, Belle, and I will track down the Galra soldiers."

Keith: "Yes, sir."

Sandra: "Copy that."

Lance: "Ten-four."

Jenny: "Right."

Pidge: "On it."

Belle: "Roger."

Hunk: "Let's do this!"

* * *

At Zarkon's Command Center, Prorok is being informed by his lieutenant.

Thace: "Commander Prorok, we have word from Commanders Xarnas and Snide on Balmera X-95 Vox. The informants were right. Voltron is there."

Prorok: "Excellent. Everything is going according to plan."

Thace: "How do you wish to proceed? Should we inform Emperor Zarkon and Kaecilius?"

Prorok: "Contact Commander Vaxel. He and his fleet are awaiting my signal. Tell him it's time to attack. I will update the Emperor. Leave Kaecilius out of this. He has far better uses of his time than Voltron, or so he told me."

* * *

At the Galra Hangar, Jenny, Keith, and Lance were sneaking around for recon and saw that a whole array of ships were guarded by a few drones.

Keith: "The entire hangar's only being guarded by a few sentries."

Jenny: "Not the best security, is it?"

Then, Keith readied his bayard into a sword before attempting to charge in.

Keith: "Let's go!"

However, Lance stopped him before he charged out.

Lance: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Cool your jets, Keith!"

Jenny: "Yeah. Did you just forget that the Balmera is alive?"

Keith's face dropped down in embarrassment.

Keith: "Oh, right."

Lance: "Yeah, so we can't just blow things up like a psycho."

Keith: "Oh, you got a better idea?"

Lance: "I do. We sneak into the control room to shut down the bay doors. That'll trap the ships in."

Keith: "That..."

He was about to retort, when he realized how sensible the plan was and how efficient it is.

Keith: "...actually is a better idea."

Jenny: "Right? Now, let's go."

Then, the three Paladins walked silently on the catwalk while far away, Hunk, Sandra, and Lapis were searching for Shay and her family.

Hunk: "Allura, Coran, Babak, what's our location? All these tunnels look the same. I can't remember where the prison is."

In the Castle, Coran relayed the directions.

Coran: "You're on the right path. Turn right at the next tunnel. Once you get there, you'll have to disable the energy doors. Be careful. It looks like it's heavily guarded."

Lapis: "We'll keep that in mind."

Meanwhile, Jenny, Keith, and Lance were in the air vents, whispering so as not to be heard.

Lance: "No, no. It's over here."

Keith: "I know what I'm doing."

Jenny: "Can you speed this up please?"

Keith/Lance: "Sorry."

Then, Keith plunged his sword through a wall above the drone's head before pulling it up. Then, Lance noticed the drone and smashed it with the cut-open wall as he fell down. Then, he spoke to Jenny and Keith as they joined him.

Lance: "Keep an eye out for those guards. I'll see if I can find a way to shut the hangar doors."

Jenny: "Gotcha."

Then, she and Keith looked out the window keeping an eye on the sentries while Lance had trouble deciphering the Galra Panel. When he found a small set of buttons, he pressed them, but with little to no effect.

Lance: "I don't know what I'm doing here. It's all Galra gibberish."

Then, Keith walked up to the panel beside Lance.

Keith: "Let me see."

Then, Keith noticed a Galra handprint before placing his hand there, resulting in the doors closing as the alarm beeped.

Lance: "Whoa! How'd you do that?"

Keith: "I just put my hand on the handprint."

Jenny: "Yeah, a Galra handprint. Wait... does that mean... you're part Galra, Keith?!"

Keith and Lance shushed Jenny for being too loud before a drone thought it heard a commotion as they ducked. Fortunately, the drone hadn't seen them. Keith whispered to Jenny.

Keith: "No. I'm not part Galra, okay?"

Jenny nodded quietly in response.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk, Sandra, and Lapis were riding towards the door before the drones shot at them. Then, Hunk took cover with his pod before he got out his bayard and morphed it into a machine gun and shot at them.

Hunk: "Yeah!"

Then, Hunk went to the arm of a drone and picked it up before turning to Lapis and Sandra who showed looks of confusion.

Hunk: "That was way too easy."

Sandra: "My thoughts exactly."

Lapis: "I definitely don't have a good feeling about this."

Hunk: "Me neither. I mean, where are those Galra with beards?"

Lapis: "Galra with beards?"

Hunk: "Well, one of them had a goatee, but still."

Then, Hunk used the arm to scan the handprint and open the door, allowing the trio in while arousing suspicion in Sandra.

Sandra: "Coran, you said it's heavily guarded, but I don't see any of them."

Coran: "That's because they're mobilizing away from you."

Lapis: "Away from us? That doesn't make any sense. Something's definitely going on. You think you could keep an eye on them, Sandra?"

Sandra: "Sure."

Then, Sandra went after the drones after she found them marching away as she tried to follow them. As Sandra did so, Hunk and Lapis turned to the door and used the handprint to open it up before being noticed by Shay's family.

Shay's Father: "Hunk, you have returned."

Hunk: "I promised I'd be back. We're here to help."

The Balmerans grew worried about his companion and backed away, only for Lapis to calm them down.

Lapis: "No, no, it's okay. I'm with him."

Shay's Grandmother: "But you're Galra."

Lapis: "That doesn't make me like Zarkon. Believe me."

Rax: "No. One skyling's already made things worse. I won't let you poison our minds as well, renegade."

Lapis didn't find him welcoming and understood why Sandra was so mad at him.

Lapis: "Wow. Was he always such a bringdown?"

Then, Hunk looked around and saw that Shay wasn't around.

Hunk: "Where's Shay?"

Then, Rax spoke in a condescending tone.

Rax: "Our life may not have been perfect, but our family was whole. Your arrival has left us imprisoned and torn apart. As soon as your attack started, they took her away to the core of the Balmera. For all we know, she could be gone for good."

Lapis then spoke back to him in her own retorted tone.

Lapis: "And whose fault was that? From what Hunk told me, you ratted her out to the Galra in the first place."

Rax began to grow frightened of Lapis' accusation.

Lapis: "So, don't you dare blame any of us for what happened to Shay. Blame yourself for being such a coward."

Hunk immediately felt awkward about what Lapis had just said to Rax.

Hunk: "Wow, Lapis. Just, wow."

Then, Allura spoke to them.

Allura: "Paladins, are you there? The Galra troops are headed down the tunnels. It looks like they're going down toward the center."

Lapis: "They must be headed to the core. That's where they're holding Shay."

As they ran out, Lapis turned to Rax who stood up in shame before Lapis dismisses him with a scowl before running toward Hunk.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro and Belle were riding his pod as they received the message.

Belle: "Sound like they're luring us into an ambush."

Shiro: "Maybe, but we don't have a choice if we want to save Shay. We have to follow. Lance, Keith, Jenny, get to the core. I think we're going to need everyone together to get through this firefight."

At the hangar, Lance, Keith, and Jenny got Shiro's message.

Lance: "Copy that. We're on our way."

As they ran out of the control room, Keith slashed at the panel to keep it from being changed.

Then, Lance shot at the button to keep the door closed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge was traveling down the tunnel until she'd noticed a dead end and stopped before getting out.

Allura: "You're in an area where the tunnels are too narrow for your speeder."

Pidge: "Yeah. Proceeding on foot."

Then, Pidge got out and traveled down by foot as a shadow approached.

Pidge: "There's someone here."

Allura: "Looking into it."

As the shadow crept closer, Pidge readied her bayard before she lunging as Allura spoke up.

Allura: "Pidge, no! Those are Balmerans!"

Then, Pidge stopped a few feet and looked at three Balmerans children before she drew a breath of relief.

Pidge: "Phew!"

Then, he waved to them before they heard groaning, scaring the children away. Unfortunately, one of them tripped before a rock started to crumble above him, prompting Pidge to fly towards him and push him out of the way. The other two children hugged the rescued third before Pidge spoke to them.

Pidge: "Don't worry."

* * *

Then, Pidge relayed the current situation to the other Paladins.

Pidge: "Hey, team, be careful. The Balmera is very unstable."

Meanwhile, Jenny was brushing her dusty hair off while responding back.

Jenny: "Uh, yeah. We've already figured that out."

Then, she, Keith, and Lance noticed three drones before they turned to see them. Then, as they fired, they jumped out of the way, causing it to groan in pain, the noises of which Jenny heard and felt as after she touched her hand on its walls, causing that part of it to glow blue, a sensation appeared in her chest and clutched onto it as she moaned, worrying Lance.

Lance: "Jenny! Are you hurt?"

Jenny could've sworn she wasn't shot and was confused as she began to get an idea.

Jenny: "Sort of? I think... I think I'm feeling its pain. Their shooting's hurting it real bad. We gotta do something."

Suddenly, the pain got worse for the both of them before they moaned.

Lance: "Well, we can't shoot back. It'll just make it worse."

Then, Lance took a look at the ceiling before trailing to its installations and noticed a ladder for him to climb. Then, Lance pointed at the ladder and up to the ceiling before he pointed at the drones and then to himself before pointing at his eyes and then to the drones. Jenny got the message as she nodded.

Jenny: "Okay."

Keith was still confused at the signs he made.

Keith: "Huh?"

Then, Jenny turned to Keith and spoke to him.

Jenny: "There's a ladder you can climb. Lance is going to distract them while you take them out."

Then, Keith got the message before he nodded.

Keith: "Oh."

As he climbed up the ladder, Lance got out in the open before he taunted then while waving his arms. Then, as they fired again, he got out the shield and braced their fire before Keith jumped at them and slashed at the drones before Lance drew his shield back and smiled with a thumbs-up before looking toward Jenny, who was now recovering from her moment of symbiosis as she did a thumbs-up of her own.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandra had found the core of the Balmera and found Shay there, as well as a huge Dark Quintessence crystal below her. To her horror, she gasped as it glowed and warbled. Then, Hunk charged in, yelling like a bull before Sandra looked to him and tried to stop him in his tracks.

Sandra: "No, Hunk! Wait!"

Then, Hunk stopped his movement and interacted with Sandra.

Hunk: "Huh? What's up?"

Then, Sandra pointed to the crystal and Shay. Honestly, he was more concerned with Shay, in spite of the Dark Crystal's presence.

Hunk: "Shay! You're alive!"

Sandra: "Not for long. Look."

Then, the dark crystal began shining its essence into Shay as her muffled moans ensued while it scarred her with Dark Quintessence. Hunk grew angry at this before firing at the crystal, canceling its effects before he fired at the rope holding her and grabbed her bridal style. Just then, Lapis, Shiro, Belle, and Pidge arrived.

Lapis: "Thank goodness."

Belle: "Wait. Where's the Galra?"

Shiro: "If this is an ambush, they should be here waiting for us."

Suddenly, the door closed just as Jenny, Keith, and Lance walked in, only to be trapped as well. Then, the ceiling of the core began to glow purple with Dark Quintessence, much to the horror of the Paladins.

Hunk: "Not an ambush. More like a trap."

Then, Jenny turned to Shay for an answer.

Jenny: "Hey. Your name's Shay, right? What's going on?"

Shay: "The Galra, they gained knowledge that you would return to the Balmera."

Pidge: "How?"

Shay: "I know not. But they set this trap just for you. I was bait."

Shiro: "Who could possibly have known that we were heading here?"

However, Sandra could make a guess.

Sandra: "Rax. He's ratted us out before. What's stopping him from doing it again?"

However, Hunk had a different idea.

Hunk: "Nope. It's Rolo. Those liars must have told Zarkon or, like, Kaecilius."

Belle: "Whoever told them doesn't matter. Right now, we have to find a way out."

Then, Lance had an idea.

Lance: "Wait! We have a giant Castle ship hovering in the sky. Allura, can you please come get us?"

Jenny raised her brows in confusion.

Jenny: "And how is she going to do that?"

Lance: "I don't know, maybe they got teleporters or something."

Allura responded as she was having her own problems.

Allura: "We're quite occupied at the moment."

The Castle was being under attack by the Galra ships.

Babak: "We're completely surrounded by Galra ships and we're taking heavy fire!"

As the Castle braced the numerous billets of the Galra ships' laser guns, an alarm sounded.

Babak: "What now?"

Coran: "Our particle barrier won't last much longer!"

Then, Allura spoke to the Paladins.

Allura: "Paladins, you need to get out of there as soon as you can!"

Jenny: "Right!"

However, just as Jenny was about to fire her bayard at a door, she received a small vision of two dark purple eyes before suddenly falling to the floor with Lance catching her.

Lance: "Jenny! You okay?"

Jenny: "I-I don't know. I just... I just froze all over again. I'm not in any pain like the last time, though."

Lance: "Good."

Lapis figured out what caused this.

Lapis: "The Dark Quintessence. It's keeping us from doing anything to break out."

Lance grew worried for Jenny as she breathed shallowly as her scars glowed dark purple.

Lance: "Oh, no. Not again."

Shiro: "It's alright, Lance. We'll figure it out. Allura, we'll get there as soon as we can."

Then, Shay had an idea.

Shay: "Perhaps my people can help us get out."

Jenny: "Really? How?"

Shay: "You are one of the ancient ones, correct?"

Jenny grew confused before her ears perked a bit.

Jenny: "I guess. Why?"

Then, Shay placed her and Jenny's hands on the core.

Shay: "This is how we communicate. The Balmera sense our vibrations and sends a message to those in the tunnels."

Jenny began to talk in a weakened voice.

Jenny: "Not to be faithless, but are you sure they could hear our... hands from all the way down here?"

Shay: "The Balmera will deliver the message."

Then, Shay closed her eyes as the core glowed blue while it moaned softly, amazing Jenny.

Jenny: "Whoa."

Then, Jenny drew a deep breath while speaking telepathically.

Jenny: _"Excuse me, Balmera? I just... don't feel right taking from you, but... I need you. We all do."_

Just as her message was conveyed to it, her hand and her scars glowed blue, to the amazement of the Paladins.

* * *

Far away, Rax and his family were walking in the tunnels when they heard its moans before Rax knelt down and placed his hand on the ground as it glowed blue.

Rax: "It's a message from Shay."

Shay's Father: "She's alive!"

Rax: "The Paladins of Voltron went to the core of the Balmera to save Shay... and now they are all trapped. One of them slowly being poisoned by Dark Quintessence."

Shay's Father: "Then we are all doomed."

However, Rax took what Lapis said to heart and stood up from the ground.

Rax: "This is all my fault. I conspired against them, and because of my actions, Shay was imprisoned. The Galra renegade was right. If we ever hope to be free, we must take action."

Shay's Father personally had doubts that they'll pull it off, given their captors' 10,000 year supremacy.

Shay's Father: "But how can we rise up against our Galra overlords?"

Rax: "What choice do we have? They have stolen all of the crystals from our Balmera. Our lives are worthless to them now."

Shay's Father: "But Balmerans have never fought."

Rax: "You taught me that without family, we have nothing. The Galra have taken Shay. How can we do nothing while the Paladins sacrifice everything to save us? We must do our part!"

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, Prorok knelt before his Emperor as he relayed the news.

Prorok: "Lord Zarkon, I have news to report. News that will likely please you, my Emperor."

Zarkon: "Proceed."

Prorok: "I have the Voltron Paladins trapped on a Balmera in the Javeeno star system. I've ordered a fleet to capture the lions and destroy the Altean Castle."

However, the news didn't please Zarkon one bit as he claimed.

Zarkon: "You fool! You dare make plans without informing me?"

Prorok: "Forgive me, Emperor, But I saw an opportunity and I took it for the glory of the Galra Empire."

Zarkon: "I suspect that you are seeking your own glory, Prorok. But you do not realize Voltron's power."

* * *

Out in space, the Galra ships were bombarding the Castle's shields while half of the ships swerved to the atmosphere.

Coran: "They're heading down into the tunnels!"

Then, Babak could make a guess as to why as he gasped.

Babak: "They're going to steal the lions!"

Allura: "Paladins, the lions are in danger! You must get back to them immediately!"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Babak related it to Allura.

Babak: "Princess, something's locked onto us."

Suddenly, a giant Galra battle cruiser appeared from hyperdrive before a transmission from it was sent by Vaxel.

Vaxel: "Princess Allura. The time has come for your execution. The sins of your father must be paid in full. Prepare for destruction!"

* * *

Back at the Balmera, Allura alerted the Paladins of their current situation as Jenny slowly recovered.

Allura: "Paladins, do you copy? There's a battle cruiser locked into us. If it fires with its ion cannon, we don't know if we can survive."

Lance: "We're trying, Allura. Shay and Jenny are pressing their hands against the core, which apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people, who vibrate back or something? Hand talking? I guess the answer to your question is, "Yes, we copy.'"

Shiro: "Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?"

Outside, Rax and the others had made it to the doors.

Suddenly, the wall by the door glowed blue as Rax and his family pressed their hands against it, causing it to crush the door open. When the Paladins and Shay looked back, they saw Rax, his father, his grandmother, and his mother.

Shay: "Rax!"

Rax: "We must make haste. We know a shortcut through the tunnels."

Shiro: "Allura, stand by. We're on our way up."

* * *

Outside, the Black Lion was being taken by two Galra ships via tractor beam.

Allura: "Paladins, hurry! They're taking off with the lions!"

Shiro, having heard this, yelled out as the speeder in full speed as Belle hung onto him. Then, he did a skid and went up to the Black Lion as the shield and cockpit opened up. Then, the Black Lion roared as it broke free from the tractor beams and flew out of the tunnel.

Shiro: "Guys, did everyone make it to the lions in time?"

Just then, all five lions emerged from the tunnels.

Jenny: "Yep!"

Lance: "Come on, Shiro. Who you think you're dealing with, a bunch of amateurs?"

Then, as the five lions swerved away, Lance didn't notice the spire as Jenny panicked and took the wheel.

Jenny: "Look where you're going!"

She was able to swerve the lion away and back on course as she took a deep breath after her short moment of panic.

Shiro: "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Lance: "No."

Then, the lions took off toward the ships.

Shiro: "Let's go!"

As they got closer to them, while the Green, Blue, and Red lions fired at them, the Yellow Lion smashed into them before gripping it with its jaws and chucking it away before the Black and Violet Lions used their jaw blades to slice the rest in half.

At the battle cruiser, Vaxel noticed this and wasn't pleased as he snarled.

Vaxel: "Prepare the ion cannon. I will give the Paladins a rude awakening myself."

Then, as more ships came in from the atmosphere, the Red Lion fired its red-hot breath while the Blue Lion fired its ice-cold blast, both of which caused an explosion altogether. Then, the Yellow Lion charged in and smashed it before gripping on it with its jaws and making a pile of smashed Galra ships as he went forward. Then, the Galra ships overhead began to fire at the Yellow Lion before the Green Lion acted as a shield for it.

Pidge: "Hunk, watch out!"

Then, Lapis arrived to slice the Galra ships with the jaw blade.

Lapis: "Got you covered!"

As they exploded, Hunk drew a breath of relief.

Hunk: "Phew! Thanks, guys!"

However, it was far from over as Vaxel's battle cruiser began charging its ion cannon.

Coran: "It's charging its ion cannon!"

Allura: "Divert all shields to the bow."

Then, the Castle's shield shrunk toward the front of it just as it fired. However, it held the blast at bay, but now without the alarm blaring.

Allura: "Paladins, I need you immediately! Five more ticks and we're finished!"

Shiro: "Okay, Team, Let's form Voltron!"

All: "Yeah!"

Then, the Paladins formed Voltron while Lapis activated her Lion's alternate form before they went above the atmosphere and tried to push the battle cruiser from under. As they shouted, they lifted it away giving them a chance to retaliate.

Coran: "Right now is our chance, Princess!"

Allura: "Full power on the blasters! Locked into target. Fire!"

Then, the shield shrunk even further to the very center of the Castle before it fired a bright blue ray at the battle cruiser with Shay and Rax looking up to see it as the two Voltrons moved out of the way for it to spear through the cruiser. Then, it began to glow purple before it exploded, taking the whole fleet of ships with it.

Hunk/Keith: "Yeah!"

Pidge: "Nice shot, Princess!"

Jenny: "That was so cool!"

Sandra: "Really amazing!"

Belle: "Great work!"

Lance: "Yeah! The parade's back on!"

At the command center, Zarkon and Prorok has received news from a soldier.

Galra Soldier: "The Galra fleet and all sentries on the Balmera have been defeated."

Prorok: "No! How could this be? Lord Zarkon, I will do all that I can to recapture Voltron for the Galra."

Zarkon: "Silence, Prorok. I have plans that you cannot comprehend."

As the Voltrons landed, Keith felt relieved.

Keith: "Mission accomplished."

Allura: "And just in the tick of time. The Castle's defenses are battered and will need to fully recharge."

Jenny: "Yeah."

Then, Jenny began to feel concerned for the Balmera.

Jenny: "But... what about the Balmera?"

Just before anyone could answer, an alarm sounded from the ship.

Allura: "Huh?"

Just then, Zaltron and Azix went into the main hangar.

Azix: "What is going on out there?"

Coran: "There's unknown objects incoming! They're about to crash into the Balmera!"

Then, within the fiery flames of the Robeast ship, Vaxel latched onto the edges and hung on as it crashed, sending dust everywhere.

Keith: "What the heck is that?"

Shiro: "Trouble."

Just then, the dust cleared to reveal Vaxel in top of the ship as Pidge got a scan of him.

Pidge: "Wait. I know him! It's the Galra Commander I fought in the Castle. Not to brag, but I made him lose his arm once."

Vaxel then drew his sword out as Dark Quintessence flowed through it.

Vaxel: "Paladins of Voltron, prepare to be obliterated!"


	9. Rebirth

**C** **hapter 8:** Rebirth

At the Balmera, Vaxel stood on top of the giant cradle, his sword blazing with Dark Quintessence. Pidge scanned the sword and recognized its glow all too well.

Pidge: "Oh, no! His sword's covered in Dark Quintessence!"

Jenny: "Ugh! Why do they gotta keep using that stuff?!"

Hunk: "Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there. Please tell me it's empty! Or full of space candy. One of those two. Either one is fine."

Lance: "I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk."

Sandra: "It's that same cradle that landed on Arus before."

Lapis: "So that means you know what's gonna come out."

Keith: "If it's the same kind of monster that attacked us on Arus, we already know how to beat it."

Then, Keith thrusted his bayard into the key, causing Voltron to forge a sword and shield while Lapis did the same with hers as the Violet Voltron forged her own.

Shiro: "Hold your ground!"

Lapis: "Holding!"

Then, Vaxel jumped off of the cradle before latching his sword onto the cradle, scratching it as he descended while also leaving trails of Dark Quintessence as it spread throughout the cradle, which later came apart to reveal a giant, salamander-like robeast. Then, the creature came to life with a dark hum as its machinery glowed dark purple. Once it's targeted both Voltrons, the robeast's core glowed purple before firing a dark purple blast from it towards Voltron, who blocked it only to be pushed back several feet.

Hunk: "It's not candy!"

Lance: "And it's not the same monster!"

Then, as Voltron got out of the blast's path, Lapis inquired of Shiro.

Lapis: "Great. Now what?"

Shiro: "We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera's surface!"

As the two Voltrons evaded the blasts, they closed in on it, only for the robeast to jump up and fire the blast at them in the air. At that moment, however, the Violet Voltron blocked it and caused Lapis to tense and groan from the pain before being knocked away. As the creature aimed to strike again, Voltron charged toward the robeast and slashed at it, only for it to evade that in the nick of time before firing a blast from his purple eye that rotated toward Voltron. After one hit, it got knocked back before flying away as the robeast followed and fired a blast from its core. As Voltron held the blast at bay, Lance grew worried about the shield's integrity.

Lance: "We can't hold out!"

Pidge: "My lion is weakening! If the shield sustains structural damage, we're done for!"

Keith: "Pidge is right!"

Lance: "Oh, Pidge is right. I'm the one that said, 'we can't hold out!'"

Then, Keith noticed the Blue Lion slipping.

Keith: "Lance, watch your footing!"

It was too late, the Blue Lion has already slipped and fell as the shield broke apart into two wings. That left Shiro no other choice.

Shiro: "Okay, Team Voltron, disband!"

After the five lions split apart while the Violet Lion changed back to its normal lion form, they began darting away from the robeast.

Shiro: "Everyone, evasive maneuvers! It can't shoot us all at once!"

However, Vaxel grinned at their panic before speaking.

Vaxel: "Surround them."

Then, the robeast fired multiple dark lasers from its arms, putting on the deadliest laser show to say the least.

Belle: "Seriously?"

Shiro: "Okay, it can do that too."

Just then, the Castle of Lions appeared and shot the creature to stop it. However, that only angered it as it turned and fired a dark laser from the eye at their shield. Inside, Allura, Babak, Azix, Zaltron, and Coran held themselves together as they braced it.

Allura: "Where does Zarkon get these beasts from? And how do they keep finding us?"

Azix: "Zarkon's witch, Haggar, must be responsible. She's always experimenting with Quintessence for the sake of power. As to how they found us... one of his generals must've been working the area."

Babak: "Well, couldn't you have bothered to say so AHEAD of time?!"

Azix: "In all fairness, you didn't bother to ask."

As Babak growled, Coran saw the status of the particle barrier.

Coran: "Princess, the particle barrier won't sustain much longer. It's still not at full strength after the blast from the Galra ship."

Outside, Lapis had an idea.

Lapis: "Keith and I will try to draw its fire!"

Shiro: "Good idea! I'm coming from above!"

As Keith and Lapis darted toward the robeast, their lions fired their blasts at it, causing it to turn its attention toward them before firing. Then, just as the Black Lion charged above it, one of its eyes turned and fired its blast at him, forcing him to evade.

Belle: "Well, that didn't work!"

Lance: "We need to find its blind spot!"

Pidge: "I don't think this thing has a blind spot. It has a thousand eyes."

Then, Hunk and Pidge found themselves caught in its devastating laser show and tried to evade them.

Hunk: "Laser eyes. Laser eyes!"

As Hunk screamed, he evaded an installation that plummeted to the floor, only for Lapis to notice this and gripped it with the Violet Lion's paws and set it down before returning to evasive maneuvers.

Pidge: "What do we do? Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!"

Keith: "I think we've got to aim for those laser eyes and take them out."

Jenny: "But how do we do that? The moment we get too close, we'll get fried or worse!"

Allura: "We'll cover you from up here!"

Then, as the Castle fired at the robeast, it retaliated by firing all lasers from its arms and core, causing catastrophic damage as Coran panicked.

Coran: "We've lost the spectral generator! Going to reserve! There's a fire in VIN bay three! Suppressors on! Suppressors out!"

Babak couldn't understand him due to his panic and tried to get him to "speak english."

Babak: "Out with it, Coran! What is going on?!"

Coran: "The ship's being torn apart!"

Babak: "How can a ship that was just cleansed of Dark Quintessence be torn apart?!"

Azix: "The Dark Quintessence we've had to inspect and clean was tame, but this? It's primal!"

Allura: "We're taking heavy fire up there! We're in trouble!"

Shiro gave out the best idea in this situation that'll preserve their lives for the moment.

Shiro: "Princess, pull back! Get out of its range, now!"

Allura: "We will not abandon you!"

Shiro: "You're not abandoning us. We're about to pull back anyway."

Hunk: "We are?"

Shiro: "We can't hold out. We have to. Lions, to the mine shafts! It's the only place the monster can't get us."

Lapis: "But what about Vaxel?"

Then, Zaltron spoke to them.

Zaltron: "Leave Vaxel to me. I'll provide you with enough cover to recuperate."

Lapis knew her father all too well from when she was a child and asked him.

Lapis: "There's more to that, isn't it, Father?"

Zaltron: "Yes. As part of his generals, Vaxel will know the location of Kaecilius and his plans. While I provide you cover, I'll find out what he knows."

Lapis didn't feel that to be right, but knew her father can be stubborn and just went along with it.

Lapis: "Okay. Just don't hurt the Balmera, or let it be hurt. Promise?"

Zaltron: "This I swear."

Then, the Castle flew off just as Zaltron leaped out of it and darted toward Vaxel with a shout as he drew his sword and clashed against Vaxel's as the lions made a break for the tunnels.

Zaltron: "You have no soul!"

Vaxel: "That is why I have no weakness!"

Then, Vaxel thrusted him away before Zaltron recovered and landed on his feet.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the tunnels, Keith, Sandra, Lapis, Shiro, Belle, Jenny, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk got out of their lions and went to the Balmerans, who were curious about the happenings on the surface.

Rax: "What is going on?"

Keith: "There's a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us."

Shay: "A monster?"

Pidge: "And that's not the worst of it. Vaxel is commanding it."

Shay: "Vaxel the Vicious? Will Zarkon's savagery never abate? Perhaps our people were never meant to be free."

Hunk: "Shay, don't give up. Zarkon's power grows with every planet he conquers, but he's weakened by every being that fights back."

Shay: "Fight back? Against a monster like that? How?"

Hunk: "I don't know, but we can beat it. Tell her, Keith."

Keith: "Can we?"

Shiro: "Yes, we can! This is our first mission and we're not going to fail. We can beat it. We just need some time to come up with a plan."

Hunk: "See? Told you we can. Thanks, Shiro."

Just then, the Balmera shook as it moaned with Jenny's scars momentarily blinking dark purple.

Hunk: "Did you guys feel that over there?"

Lance: "Yeah, we feel it."

Pidge: "It's that sound again. What is that?"

Then, Shay's grandmother noticed it cracking as she placed her hand on it before Rax spoke.

Rax: "That great noise came from the Balmera itself. Our home crumbles beneath our feet."

Jenny figured out what that meant and didn't like it one bit.

Jenny: "Right. They've taken all of the crystals out. On top of that, they installed Dark Quintessence into it. Which means..."

Rax: "The Balmera is dying."

* * *

Then, Shiro called out to Allura, Coran, Babak, and Azix.

Shiro: "Allura, Babak, Coran, Azix, are you there?"

Allura: "Shiro, we're here."

Shiro: "The Balmera—"

Coran: "We already know. Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera. What's worse, the Dark Quintessence they've installed is rushing the decay."

As Pidge opened up the thermal scan of the Balmera on his wrist, he inquired of Coran.

Pidge: "How does that happen?"

Jenny: "This should come as no surprise, but grandpop said removing the crystals is like performing surgery on someone, except on a really big scale. It gives you a piece and you give yours right back."

Coran: "That's right. After that, the Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the Galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life."

Hunk: "So, what's going to happen?"

Babak: "Its core will collapse while thus destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Normally, anyone or anything on Balmera at this point will be crushed into dust. But with Dark Quintessence in the mix, it'll spread to who knows how many galaxies and poison them, or worse."

Jenny knew what it meant.

Jenny: "So, they're turning the Balmera into a ticking time bomb?"

Babak: "Basically, yes."

Shiro: "How long before its core collapses?"

Coran: "If it wasn't for the Dark Quintessence, probably a matter of hours. Now, there's only one left. The mighty organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness."

Jenny tensed her fist as she began to shed tears while Allura contemplated the situation.

Allura: "Then our time is short. We'll evacuate the planet."

However, Jenny snapped back at this.

Jenny: "No! There isn't any time left for that! There's gotta be another way!"

Allura: "What else could we do? We have to think about its people."

Jenny: "There _is_ another way! I know there is!"

Then, Lance tried his best to calm her down while helping her think.

Lance: "Okay. Let's say there is. Was there anything your grandpop told you that could help?"

Jenny figured out where Lance was going before she drew a deep breath.

Jenny: "Well... there was one. A ceremony."

Rax: "What ceremony?"

Jenny: "He told me that a long time ago, back when Alteans were given the gift of crystals from a Balmera, they'd repay its sacrifice by performing a ceremony. A very special Altean would give their Quintessence to it so it could heal. It's like a symbiotic relationship. Is that right, Babak?"

Babak overheard the whole thing and grew very surprised.

Babak: "Your knowledge knows no bounds. But back then, there's a crystal. How are we supposed to heal it without one?"

Jenny: "The ship's got an extra crystal, right? So, we'll use that to fix it up."

Babak: "Oh. How did we miss that?"

Allura: "Jenny, you do realize how risky this is. If the ceremony doesn't work, we'll all perish."

Jenny took it all in for a moment before reaffirming her decision.

Jenny: "I know. But... I'd rather die trying to save the Balmera than live with the guilt and shame of failing if I didn't."

Lance stepped up to join Jenny as he placed his arm around her.

Lance: "If you're willing to die trying to heal it, then I'm with you."

Allura: "Then it's settled. We'll bring the ship to the Balmera and heal it with the ceremony."

Hunk: "Okay, that sounds like a good plan, but how on earth do you plan on landing the Castle with that monster-thingy on the surface? And Vaxel?"

Pidge: "You'll need a distraction."

Shiro: "We'll engage the beast in our lions. With it distracted, Allura, Babak, Azix, and Coran will land the Castle and set up the crystal. Look, we don't have to beat this thing. We just need to bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade."

Hunk: "Okay, here's the thing. I'm worried that we're going to be really, really good at the provoking part, and then, like, really bad at the evading part. But if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, then I'm in."

Jenny: "Good. I'm really glad you're on board with this. Shay, can you contact the other Balmerans?"

Shay: "I can, but I know not what they'll say."

Jenny: "It'll be fine. We're not asking you to leave your home. We're asking you to help it."

Allura: "The Galra have only been taking. It's time we give back. I'm coming down."

Coran: "Princess, no! It's too dangerous!"

Allura: "This is really important to Jenny. Someone has to be there to help her out."

Babak: "Well, if you're going, then as your bodyguard, I'll follow you to the ends of this universe."

Pidge didn't think it to be wise, given the conditions of the surface.

Pidge: "You're coming down? That thing will spot your pods and blow them to pieces."

Babak: "This isn't my first rodeo, number five. Let us worry about that."

Allura: "You just focus on keeping the creature distracted."

Then, Lance turned to Jenny before she spoke.

Jenny: "I'll be okay, Lance. They need you."

Then, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek before she spoke further.

Jenny: "Just go. Be the Paladin of Voltron."

Lance didn't like leaving her, but what choice was there? He also knew how stubborn she could get.

Lance: "Alright. Just don't kick the bucket on me, okay?"

Jenny: "Don't worry. I won't."

* * *

Then, the six lions took off from the tunnels and attracted the attention of the robeast as Vaxel combated Zaltron.

Vaxel: "Thank you, Zaltron, for delivering Voltron so that I may erase it from existence!"

Zaltron: "Not while I stand before you, Vaxel!"

As they continued their clash, the robeast chased after the lions with a rocket booster on its back as it fired its dark lasers at them.

Hunk: "Okay, we've provoked.

Time to evade!"

While Hunk evaded the robeast that collided with a structure of the Balmera, Allura and Babak went in their own pods as Shiro spoke to them.

Shiro: "Princess, Babak, we've lured the monster away. It's time."

Babak: "Copy."

Allura: "We'll contact you all when we're on the ground."

Coran: "Be careful out there."

Then, the pods launched out of the Castle, catching the lions' attention, as well as Lance.

Lance: "Is that Allura and Babak?"

The robeast noticed them, too, and began targeting them.

Hunk: "We've got to protect them!"

Then, Hunk made a break to get in between them and the robeast only to end up caught in its laser blast before Shiro hopped onto it and off of it, causing it to focus on him before Lance froze its head in vain as its lasers broke it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura and Babak successfully landed in the tunnels as they descended smoothly once they put their legs in and put the pod upwards.

Allura: "We're on the ground."

Babak: "Hoo-ah."

Shiro: "Hurry! I don't know how long we can hold this thing off."

Then, Allura and Babak ran to Jenny and the Balmerans.

Allura: "Shay, we're going to need your help."

Shay: "Princess?"

Jenny: "Have you contacted the other Balmerans?"

Shay: "We have. But..."

Allura noticed a look on her face that things won't go the way as planned.

Allura: "What is it? What's going on?"

Shay: "All Balmerans give thanks for the kindness you and the Paladins bestowed upon us, but, alas, our home can't be saved, nor can we take leave of it."

Allura/Jenny: "What?"

Shay: "If our great Balmera's life cycle is over because of us, then our desire is to stay with it until the end."

Jenny: "But if you stay here, you'll die! Don't you understand?!"

Rax: "We contacted the others and all agree. It's not right that you risk your lives for us."

Babak: "Of course it is! We didn't come all this way just for you to accept your demise!"

Rax: "Please, Away. We ask for no more guilt and shame upon us."

Shay: "It is our wish. The wish of all Balmerans."

Jenny began to grow into a desperate fit.

Jenny: "WHAT ABOUT MY WISH?!"

Allura and Babak turned to Jenny in surprise and curiosity.

Babak: "What do you mean your wish?"

Jenny proceeded to explain as she placed her hand on the wall.

Jenny: "Ever since grandpop told me about you, I've always wanted to meet you and even be with you. Im not going to let my first time seeing it be It's last. Not if it means Zarkon wins. I'm not going to let it end this way; I won't let you do this!"

Shay: "But we do not ask this of you. Please!"

Jenny: "I SAID NO!"

Then, Jenny began to shed tears faster than a waterfall as her desperate need to save it grew in her heart.

Jenny: "It's bad enough I've lost my home planet that I never even knew... but by staying here and dying, you're making this impossible for me to live with my own guilt, to live knowing you chose to die because I did nothing. That's why I'm not going to give up on you. I know what it's like to be burdened with it, so don't you dare force it on us by staying. If you really care about the Balmera, don't let it die in vain. Fight back against the Galra. Help me make it right. I beg you..."

Then, Shay's grandmother spoke to her in a soft tone as she sobbed her tears on the ground.

Shay's Grandmother: "Your words have touched our hearts. Though it may be ill, the Balmera carried your words."

Jenny looked to see the Balmera glowing blue where her hand had been placed and turned back to her before smiling at her and sniffling.

Jenny: "Thank you."

Shay's Grandmother: "No, thank you. You've given us reason to hope again."

Then, Jenny snapped out of her state before she took a deep breath and turned to Allura.

Jenny: "Alright. What's next?"

Allura: "I need you to tell everyone to head to the caves just under the surface."

Then, Jenny had an idea.

Jenny: "Actually..."

Then, she grabbed Allura's hand and placed it against the Balmera, causing Allura's eyes to widen.

Jenny: "They'll hear it better from you."

* * *

At the Castle, Coran saw a multitude of Balmerans head to the surface.

Coran: "Princess, Jenny's tantrum must have worked. The Balmerans are moving toward the surface!"

Jenny heard that and grew very angry.

Jenny: "Wait, tantrum?! Is that what you said?!"

Coran panicked and responded casually.

Coran: "Did I say tantrum? I meant to say, uh, speech of passion. Yeah, that's what I meant."

Jenny: "Ugh. Guess who just got on my list?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura, Jenny, Babak, Shay, Rax, and the other Balmerans went just outside the tunnel of the surface.

Allura: "Coran, we're just beneath the surface. Triangulate our position. This is your landing zone."

Then, they braced themselves as the Balmera shook.

Coran: "Yes, Allura. Readying ship."

As soon as the triangle appeared on the monitor, Coran moved toward it.

Coran: "Castle of Lions, coming in! Paladins, how are you holding up?"

Meanwhile, Keith distracted the robeast alongside Lapis.

Keith: "I think we've got him pretty distracted."

Lapis: "Are the Balmerans ready?"

Jenny: "Yep. They're making their way to the top."

Allura and Jenny looked down to see a multitude of Balmerans climbing up to the surface and staring in awe at its beauty. Then, Allura turned to Jenny.

Allura: "There's something I must ask you, Jenny."

Jenny: "What?"

Allura: "Why were you so determined to keep it alive?"

Jenny: "Well, to tell you the truth, the Balmera, its people, they're what's left of my grandpop in the universe so far. To lose that... would be to lose a part of him, too. I just... I just couldn't live without it. Because I'd rather be dead than go through that. You understand?"

Allura: "All too well."

Then, the Castle appeared as it landed before they ran toward it and helped the few Balmerans up on the ladder as the pod from below the ship fell down and opened up to reveal Coran, Azix, and the crystal he's retrieved from Balmera before.

Coran: "We've got the crystal!"

Azix: "Everybody make room, posthaste."

* * *

However, Vaxel noticed this during the clash and forced Zaltron off of him before he got out his sword and yelled out as he slammed it in the Balmera, creating a streak of Dark Quintessence that was headed toward the crystal. However, Azix noticed this and chucked it onto Coran, who could barely hold it up before the Dark Quintessence streak could reach it. But that didn't stop it from striking the ladder away, causing it to fall into the tunnels while causing the Balmera to quake. Jenny and Allura looked on in horror as the Balmera began to split apart.

Allura/Jenny: "No!"

The Balmera soon began to cause rockslides that frightened the other Balmerans down below as Azix turned to Coran.

Azix: "Is the crystal intact?"

Coran replied weakly.

Coran: "Yes."

Azix: "Good."

As Azix helped lift up the crystal with Coran before setting it in place, its started to turn dark purple until its become a dark crystal.

Coran: "Uh, guys? We might have a bit of a problem!"

Rax noticed this and turned to Jenny and Allura.

Rax: "What now?"

Jenny: "We're still doing the ceremony as planned."

Rax: "They're trapped! And the Crystal's corrupted! What can be done? Time is short!"

Just then, Vaxel landed a blow on Zaltron, knocking him all the way to where Jenny, Allura, and the Balmerans were as the robeast fired at the lions.

* * *

Hunk: "Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you guys got it ready yet? What's happening?"

Coran: "The Balmerans are trapped. Just keep distracting that beast!"

Hunk: "Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying? Because that's what's going to happen!"

Shiro: "Guys, remember when I said we didn't have to beat it?"

Hunk: "Yes, I remember that."

Shiro: "Well, we might have to beat it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Vaxel spoke to the crowd.

Vaxel: "Your efforts to protect one of the universe's most sacred relics are futile. Our beast is within reach of decimating your Balmera to its core. And we both know that Quintessence cannot thrive in a poisoned well."

Shay began to believe this and give up.

Shay: "We're lost! All are trapped with no chance of escape!"

Allura: "We can't give up."

Shay: "But what can be done?"

Vaxel: "A question, Balmeran, that you'll take to your grave."

As Vaxel raised his sword, he ended up being shot at, but not by the Castle, or the lions. Vaxel turned to see a familiar ship and guessed who was piloting it. Jenny recognized them, too, and was surprised.

Jenny: "Huh? Isn't that..."

Vaxel: "Rolo."

Rolo glared at mechanized Galra General before firing at him. Then, Vaxel reflected the blasts, worsening the Balmera before Jenny initiated a transmission with it from her wrist.

Jenny: "Rolo, you might want to take it easy."

Rolo: "I know, but I wasn't aiming for the Balmera."

Jenny: "Um, yeah, but could you maybe not shot at us, either?"

Allura: "What are you doing here, anyhow?"

Rolo: "We hijacked the necessary parts for our ship from a Galra ship when they landed on the moon. Now, do what you need to do and hurry!"

With that, Rolo shot at Vaxel as Zaltron stood up on his feet.

Zaltron: "We must make use of the time he's buying us."

Rax: "But how can we do that? The Dark Quintessence can't be removed."

Then, Jenny turned to the crystal before having an idea.

Jenny: "I've cured that sort of thing before. Maybe I'll cure the Balmera with it, too."

Allura saw her point and joined in.

Allura: "Of course. It could work. Well just need to connect with the crystal on the bridge and use the Castle's power as an amplifier."

Babak: "Absolutely not! Performing rejuvenation on a single crystal or precipice is difficult enough. But performing it to a global scale on a sentient being?! Besides, direct exposure to that much Dark Quintessence will debilitate you! You haven't built up an immunity like the Galra have."

Coran: "He's right. I beg you. To heal an entire planet, it could take more energy than either of you possess. You may not live through it."

Jenny: "I know what I signed up for, Coran. I appreciate your concern, but this is the only way."

Allura: "We know you're scared for us, Babak, Coran. But we must try."

With that, the Balmerans placed their hands on their sacred ground as Jenny and Allura stood in front of each other before they held their arms out. Then, as the Castle's light shone upon them, the light beneath them began to spread.

* * *

Meanwhile, the lions were still evading the robeast, who pelted the Paladins with its deadly lasers.

Keith: "Guys, This isn't working. We'll never take this beast down in our lions."

Pidge: "Well, forming Voltron didn't work, either."

Lance: "Not without some way to shoot all those laser eyes at once."

Then, Hunk noticed a slot with a keyhole opening up.

Hunk: "That's weird. What are you trying to tell me?"

Then, Hunk got out his bayard and figured it out.

Hunk: "Guys! Guys, something's happening here! I-I think there's a way to take down all those laser eyes at once."

Sandra: "Then, by all means, let's hear it!"

Hunk: "Do you remember how Voltron formed that sword with Keith's bayard? I think my Lion's telling me I can do the same with my bayard."

Keith: "Are you sure?"

Hunk: "Let's find out. Form thingy!"

Hunk slammed it into the slot and turned it, but there was no effect.

Hunk: "It didn't work!"

Belle: "Maybe because we haven't formed Voltron yet?"

Hunk: "Oh, right. Yeah, I know."

Sandra: "No, you didn't."

Pidge: "Guys, whatever we're planning, let's hurry up and do it."

After the robeast saw the blue light on the ground, it turned to see the Castle and go towards it, much to Lapis' horror.

Lapis: "Oh, Quiznak!"

Shiro: "We've got to defend the Castle! Everyone, follow me. Form Voltron!"

* * *

Then, the five lions went up and became Voltron as the Violet Lion transformed on its own. As the robeast prepared to fire, Voltron stopped it with the Red Lion's blast and co fronted it before forging a yellow cannon on its shoulder and concentrating a blast while the robeast did the same with its arms and core. As the blasts fired, they collided with the dark blast overpowering Voltron.

Shiro: "It's not enough!"

Then, the Violet Voltron impalas the creature in the back through the core before forcing it up diagonal ally to the left, firing the ongoing blast away from the Castle with a rush of wind. Before the robeast could respond, the Violet Voltron then slashed at its eyes before they could fire at her, giving Voltron the opportunity to scan the other cannons.

Hunk: "Are you guys seeing this?"

Sandra: "Yeah. Let's use it while we have the chance."

Keith: "Roger that."

Shiro: "Let's see what this thing can do. Engage!"

Then, Voltron fired his shoulder cannon again before it spread into multiple beams and hit the robeast's many cannons and destabilizing them, much to Vaxel's chagrin.

Vaxel: "No! Impossible. They're ruining everything!"

Then, Zaltron hit him in the face with his fist before drawing his sword and holding it to his neck.

Zaltron: "Why is Kaecilius manufacturing Dark Quintessence? What is he attempting to build?"

Vaxel: "You'll have to kill me before I talk."

Then, Vaxel formed a cannon from his arm before Zaltron sliced it off and pointed it back.

Zaltron: "Answer me. Now."

Vaxel smiled before he spoke.

Vaxel: "That's the spirit. But I was a champion in Daibazaal not only due to my savage might, but also my cunning."

Then, Vaxel swipes Zaltron's legs before disappearing in a dark mist. Then, he reappeared before Zaltron noticed and countered with his own punch to the chest, knocking the tyrant to a great distance toward the robeast.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny and Allura were still maintaining their pose before they suddenly knelt down and placed their hands on the Balmera, causing blue light to engulf it as the two Voltrons looked on.

Shiro: "Guys, look!"

As the blue light swarmed around the Balmera, traces of Dark Quintessence vanished and had now become cleansed as pure Quintessence. Vaxel looked on in anger before turning to Voltron.

Vaxel: "Unbelievable!"

Then, the Vaxel slashed a dark energy blast from his sword toward Voltron, only for its Violet counterpart to block it and be kicked by the Violet Voltron into outer space.

* * *

After which, Allura and Jenny both fell to the floor and while Shay held Allura, Jenny laid on the floor.

Shay: "Princess, Jenny, are you alright?"

Jenny was the first to reply as she opened her eyes and replied as if it didn't faze her.

Jenny: "Yeah. We'll live."

Allura: "Did it work?"

Rax felt the Balmera healing and smiled at them.

Rax: "Yes. The Balmera lives. It thanks you."

Hearing this, Jenny grew overjoyed and piled herself on Allura.

Jenny: "You see that?! We did it! We did it, we did it! We saved it, Allura!"

Allura: "Yes. That, we did."

Suddenly, the robeast began to rise up, catching their attention as it once again flared dark purple light from its eyes and core.

Allura: "No!"

Then, the robeast prepared to fire before it suddenly began to sink as crystals began covering the body. It then roared in defeat as it was finally encased in Balmera Crystal. Lapis was confused by what had occurred.

Lapis: "Um, okay. What just happened?"

Coran: "The Balmera just saved us."

Then, Allura looked to the floor as more of it popped up.

Allura: "Look at the crystals!"

As the crystals appeared, Jenny grew amazed at the sight.

Jenny: "Wow. It's so beautiful. Just like grandpop said."

Hunk: "Oh, who's a good Balmera? You are. Who are the big monster? You did. Yes, you did. Yes, you did."

Keith: "Dude, what are you doing?"

Hunk: "What? It's alive, and it luvs my scwatches."

As Hunk soothed it, Jenny placed her hand on it and confirmed it.

Jenny: "No lie. It really likes it."

Lance turned to Jenny and smiled at her.

Lance: "Wow, Jenny. You really did it."

Jenny: "Yeah. I finally did. Huh, Lance?"

Then, Lance scooped Jenny into his arms bridal style.

Lance: "You've been working real hard. You're ready for a break, aren't you?"

Jenny: "Honestly, I'm about ready to collapse."

Then, Jenny and Lance chuckled with each other as the Paladins looked toward them. Then, Rolo landed his ship before walking out with his crew and seeing Lance holding Jenny. Nyma noticed this too and smiled.

Nyma: "Well, you two must be lucky to have each other."

Lance: "When did you guys get here?"

Rolo: "Our ship picked up some parts from the Galra Cruiser. Don't worry. We're on your side, like we said. We distracted Vaxel for you guys."

Hunk glared at him before smiling at him.

Hunk: "Thank you, man. You really did us a solid. Then, he extended his hand toward Rolo, who shook it back.

Rolo: "I'm just glad we weren't too late."

* * *

Later, Shay and Hunk were on top of the Yellow Lion.

Shay: "Thank you for honoring your vow to return."

Hunk: "I should be thanking you. You made me understand what was most important."

Then, Hunk looked up to the sky and saw a multitude of stars.

Hunk: "Zarkon, Kaecilius, and their Galra Empire are destroying lives. I'm a part of a team that can change that. I know that, now."

Then, Shay grew astounded by the sunset that rose up.

Shay: "What is that?"

Hunk: "It's the dawn of a new day."

* * *

Out at space, Vaxel's armor appeared to have frozen from entering the cold, lifeless void of space before his dark purple eyes flared.

Vaxel: "I will be... avenged."


	10. Haunting Grounds

**Chapter 9:** Haunting Grounds

At the Castle, Alfor and Allura talked with Lapis about how life was with them previously, back when Zarkon had not seized power.

Lapis: "So, you guys took walks to the Blossom Canyon every day together?"

Alfor: "That's right, Lapis."

Allura: "I loved the smell of the mountain juniberries in the early morning breeze."

Alfor: "As did I, Allura."

Then, Allura had a memory of her past and brought it up.

Allura: "Remember the summer berry festival? People would come from all over for the harvest."

Alfor: "I remember how the berry juice stained your favorite dress. You were so upset."

Allura: "It took forever for mother to calm me. I miss Altea so much. I miss you, Father. I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Alfor: "I know, Allura. But as leaders, we have to do what's right for our people, even if it means great sacrifice."

Allura: "I know, Father. That's what you always say."

Lapis: "I could relate. My father always told me the same thing. It didn't make me feel any better, though. I just wanted him to talk to me, well, like a father. Just one moment with just me and him. Is that too much to ask?"

Alfor: "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It's true that your father's mind is, at times, elsewhere. But you must remember that he's doing the things he does for you."

Lapis put her head in between her legs in doubt.

Lapis: "It's hard to remember when he never even talks to me."

Just then, Coran walked in through an invisible door from the Castle.

Coran: "Princess, there you are. What are you doing up and about? You should be resting."

Allura: "Oh, Coran, can't I stay?"

Coran: "The Balmera rejuvenation ceremony took a lot out of you both, except Jenny still had the decency to listen. Come along, to your room."

Alfor: "Get your rest, darling. I will be here for you when you're well."

Lapis: "Yeah. It's not like he's going anywhere. Uh, no offense."

Allura: "I love you, Father. I'll see you soon."

Then, as Coran and Allura walked out of the room, Lapis turned to Alfor.

Lapis: "Alfor... I'm really glad... for the both of you."

Alfor: "Well, thank you very much, my dear."

Lapis: "But, still, don't you feel at least a little bit of pain like I had? About not wanting to... you know?"

Alfor: "On several occasions, yes. But Altea isn't the universe, Lapis. Though we can reminisce, we can't live in the past, lest we become consumed by them. The best discourse that can be done is to move forward."

Lapis: "I know."

Then, Lapis began to walk out before she stopped for a moment and turned to him.

Lapis: "By the way, I wanted to say... thank you for saving me from my pain. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the Paladin I am today."

Alfor smiled back at her before responding.

Alfor: "It was not me that's confirmed it. It was you."

Lapis smiled at him back before she continued walking out.

* * *

Back at their bedroom, Jenny was on the bottom bunk in a blanket on top of Lance.

Jenny: "I gotta say, I get more sleep when I use you as a bed."

Lance: "I'm glad you feel that way. So... you feeling okay?"

Jenny: "Huh? What'd you mean? You're the one who had to fight that laser robot thing."

Lance: "Just making sure you're good after... the, uh, ceremony."

Jenny began to hug Lance as she made herself comfortable on him.

Jenny: "Ah."

Lance: "Look, the fact is, you've gotten into trouble so many times that... that frankly, I'm getting really scared. You've made me worried sick about what'll happen to make you kick the bucket. I guess, maybe that's what happens when someone loves a person; they worry. You understand where I'm going with that?"

Jenny: "I do. But... if you don't say that for real, I can't give you an answer."

Lance: "Fair enough."

Then, Lance took a deep breath before trying to speak his feelings for her.

Lance: "Well, what I'm trying to say is..."

However, Coran's voice spoke to Lance.

Coran: "Lance, please come down to the detainment room."

Then, Lance and Jenny groaned at having their moment interrupted.

Lance: "Now, Coran's officially on _my_ list."

As Lance got up and set her back on the bed, she spoke to him.

Jenny: "Promise me you won't take too long, you got it?"

Lance: "I'll try, but if I do take long, you can blame it on Coran."

Jenny giggled at this before she smiled.

Jenny: "Yeah, that's fair. Well, see you then."

Then, Lance did a thumbs-up before walking out as Jenny slept, not noticing her scars glowing bright blue.

* * *

At the detainment room, Azix, Shiro, Lapis, Sandra, Belle, Keith, Hunk, Lance, Zaltron, and Pidge were watching as Coran and Babak placed small devices on the pods of Sendak and Haxxus.

Coran: "Okay, guys, Sendak and Haxxus are almost all hooked up. But, look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep Altean memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners."

Shiro: "Coran, we understand this isn't what the technology was meant for, but if we can extract either Haxxus or Sendak's memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon's troop locations."

Zaltron: "And more importantly, where and why Kaecilius mass produced so much Dark Quintessence."

Lance: "Yeah, and then we can just be like, 'knock-knock.' 'Who's there?' 'The avenging fury of Voltron, son!'"

Pidge: "Fascinating. So, how exactly does this work?"

Babak: "Once the memories are extracted, they're written in precise detail on individual micro-storage strands of DNA."

Lance: "When I go, I want all the stuff in my brain stored in a giant ship."

Keith: "The amount of information in your brain could be stored in a paper airplane."

Lapis heard this and countered matter-of-factly.

Lapis: "Well, to be fair, the amount of information in yours might as well be stored in a DNA helix."

As Keith widened his eyes at this, Hunk backed her up.

Hunk: "Oh! Good one, Lapis!"

Lapis looked to see Keith's stunned face before replying.

Lapis: "What? It's true."

Pidge: "So, this is how you incorporated King Alfor's memories into the Castle of Lions?"

Coran: "Precisely, But it's never been attempted before on an unwilling participant."

Then, after the adjustments were made, the pods by the Galra Commander and Lieutenant glowed.

Hunk: "Is that what's supposed to happen?"

Shiro: "Let's give it some time."

Nothing appeared to have happened in the time that followed as Keith and Lapis left first.

Keith: "Well, we can't wait around anymore."

Lapis: "We're going to hit the training deck."

As they left, Zaltron spoke to them.

Zaltron: "I shall accompany you as well."

Lapis grew surprised and hopeful at this.

Lapis: "Really? You will?"

Zaltron: "It's come to my attention that I haven't been making up for lost time as I should've done. I hope you can accept."

Lapis smiled before turning to her father.

Lapis: "Of course we do. Come on."

Then, the three of them walked to the training deck before time passed again with Pidge and Sandra leaving next.

Pidge: "Okay, if anyone needs me, I'll be at the lab. Maybe I can pull some information from the Dark Crystal Vaxel made."

Sandra: "Mind if I join?"

A short while after that, Lance, Hunk, Belle, Shiro, Azix, Coran, and Babak remained until Hunk took his cue.

Hunk: "Time to feed the beast. I'm going to go make some breakfast."

Then, Coran and Babak took their turn.

Babak: "Well, we're not going to stay here longer either. We have business to attend to."

Coran: "Between that Quintessential Bomb infecting our system, and then fighting off those ships, fighting off Vaxel, and performing the Balmeran rejuvenation ceremony, the old Castle of Lions has taken quite a beating. Every system needs to be recharged and repaired."

Belle: "Shiro and I'll stay here, then. Just in case the information does pop up."

Then, Lance got up and started walking away.

Lance: "Okay, well, while you guys do that, I'm gonna go back to Jenny and see how she's holding up. I promised her I wouldn't take too long."

Babak: "I see. Let us know if anything happens."

Lance: "Will do. Make sure you guys don't get crazy."

As he started to leave, Lance turned to Belle and Shiro, he noticed them still fixated on the Galra.

Lance: "Guys?"

Belle turned to him and answered.

Belle: "You got it."

Shiro: "And what about you, Azix?"

Azix: "I'll continue to run some diagnostics to make sure that all the Dark Quintessence was removed. I'll start with the main engine."

Shiro/Belle: "Okay."

Then, Lance continued to walk to his quarters and Azix toward the main engine as Shiro glared at Sendak and Belle at Haxxus.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was getting his bowl and the nozzle out.

Hunk: "Maybe today, we try a little crème goo-lée."

However, when he tried to use it in the bowl, it wouldn't work. As he inspected the nozzle as to why it wouldn't work, there was an electric spark from the dispenser before the nozzle suddenly sprayed goo on him, causing him to scream as he dropped the bowl and nozzle.

Hunk: "My eye!"

Suddenly, the nozzle began firing at will before hitting him in the butt, forcing him to flee.

* * *

Out at the hall, Pidge and Sandra were walking to their lab before a shot of goo came near them, surprising them before they looked in the kitchen to see the nozzle on automatic.

Sandra: "Uh, what's going on here?"

Hunk: "The goo has me pinned down!"

As Hunk got hit in the face with goo again, Pidge and Sandra moved in and hid behind the counter before opening the washer and getting out plates.

Pidge: "Okay, we're going to have to flank the goo to shut it down."

Sandra: "That sounds risky. I like it."

Then, before the two of them could move in, Hunk stopped them.

Hunk: "Okay, wait. Wait! It's been a pleasure cooking with you."

Then, he did a salute toward them before shouting.

Hunk: "Go!"

Then, the three Paladins moved in towards the automatic nozzle as Hunk are three goo balls that came at him before Pidge and Sandra jumped on top of it and held it back as it sprayed. Then, Hunk took the opportunity to wrap the hose in a knot, stopping the flow before one end inflated before green goo oozed out of the dispenser.

Sandra: "What... was that?"

Pidge: "Provably a malfunction?"

Hunk: "Yeah, yeah. Guess the kitchen system needs to be rebooted, too."

Sandra: "Well, whatever happened, there's only one thing to do about this mess."

Then, Hunk and Pidge eyed Sandra before she asked.

Pidge: "Leave it for Coran?"

Sandra: "Leave it for Coran."

Then, the three of them walked out while whistling casually.

* * *

Meanwhile, Babak and Coran were cleaning the pods, the former being disgruntled.

Babak: "Since when did we have a rule where we're supposed to clean it if we slept in it? Shouldn't Lance be the one doing this?"

Coran: "He would be if he didn't give me a good reason: looking after Jenny. He's clearly thought of her as someone really dear to him. You know, this kind of reminds me of my time as a young cadet. I had just enlisted in the Altean space squad aeronautics sub-tech nano-weaponry unit, and I was sent off to boot camp. Our sergeant had us cleaning cryo-pods day and night. I got so good at it, I earned my first set of stripes!"

Suddenly, as Babak was cleaning, the pod somehow activated before he tried to get his attention.

Babak: "Uh, Coran? Coran?"

However, Coran didn't hear him.

Coran: "Oh, those were the days."

Then, before Babak could speak, the pod froze him before going down.

Coran: "You would've loved it. You might've been the perfect drill sergeant."

However, when Coran turned around, he wasn't there.

Coran: "Babak? Babak!"

Then, he assumed Babak had bailed on him.

Coran: "Ah, bodyguards..."

* * *

At the main engine, Azix was looking through the conditions of the ship's turbine.

Azix: "The engine appears stable. The sub panels and energy transducer are fully functioning."

Just then, he felt a presence coming from below the engine and had an uneasy feeling. He was sure that Zarix couldn't have survived. But... there's also a chance that he might've, considering his prowess as one of the most dangerous of Kaecilius' enforcers.

Azix: "This can't be possible. Can it?"

Suddenly, to his surprise a dark blast of dark energy erupted from the pit, knocking him to the catwalk and making him unconscious as a being inside the dark mist glared its purple eye and laughed venomously.

* * *

At the training deck, Lance and Lapis were fighting the dummy together as Zaltron watched. As Lapis blocked its attacks, Keith closed in and slew his sword through the dummy, defeating it as it dissolved into nothing. Zaltron was becoming alarmed at how fast Lapis had grown up as he'd begun to see her as just a little child. Then, the child turned to him and spoke in a small voice.

Lapis (Young): "How did I do, Father?"

After that, he'd returned to reality and saw her grown up.

Lapis: "Well?"

Zaltron smiled underneath his mask, though no one could tell.

Zaltron: "You've done remarkably well, my daughter. As did you, Keith."

Keith smiled back at him.

Keith: "You know, at first, I thought it was... crazy to have a Galra with us. Well, other than Lapis. But, in a way, I'm glad I'm wrong."

Zaltron nodded in understanding before Keith spoke again.

Keith: "Still, I think we can kick it up a notch. Start training level three."

Then, another drone appeared from the ceiling before it mobilized toward Keith and Lapis. This time, it was Keith's turn to guard against the attacks. However, the drone's attacks were becoming more hostile as it swiped him to the floor, worrying Lapis.

Lapis: "Keith!"

Then, Lapis moved in and fenced against the drone, though she fared no better as the drone saw an opening and tripped her. It was about to impale her before Zaltron interfered and impaled it himself before hoisting his sword up, forcing the drone to disappear. Lapis drew a sigh of relief as her father helped her up.

Lapis: "Thanks, father."

Zaltron: "I believe that's enough training for today."

Keith/Lapis: "Agreed."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro and Belle were watching Sendak and Haxxus.

Belle: "Any luck, Shiro?"

Shiro: "Nope. Any on your end?"

Belle: "Not I. It's like they're trying hard not to let go."

After a moment, Belle spoke to Haxxus.

Belle: "I know you're in there, Haxxus. We know you and Sendak have all the answers. Give them to us."

When no movement or action was made, Belle quickly got irritated and banged her fist against the glass, much to Shiro's worry.

Belle: "You're broken soldiers! You can't hold out forever!"

Shiro: "They can't give us any answers either if you break the glass like that."

However, a glowing purple essence entered in a tube beside Haxxus before she smiled.

Belle: "Just making sure they heard me."

* * *

At the sleep chamber, Coran was about to clean the next pod when it opened up to reveal Babak trapped inside, to his surprise as he screamed. After a short while that followed, Coran opened the pod, allowing Babak to walk out with a chill.

Babak: "T-t-that... infernal pod... j-j-just trapped me in there as you were rambling on about b-b-boot camp!"

Coran: "You sure you didn't just trip and fall in? No judgment. It happens. Besides, why would the pod automatically lock and start the cryogenic freezing process?"

Babak: "Well, let's see. What's different now than it was last time? Ah, yes. It's been infected with Dark Quintessence!"

Coran: "Don't get your boots in a bunch. Azix and Zaltron cleared them of Dark Quintessence quintants ago. My guess is they're malfunctioning."

Babak: "Well, here's mine. I believe we have a spy in our midst. Care to guess who it is?"

Coran: "That's preposterous. Azix may seem like a crazed and deluded Galra to you, but he's really a dedicated and driven person who's working towards his goal."

Babak: "And?"

Coran heard himself and commented on that.

Coran: "Well, that does make him seem like a spy, doesn't it? But he's not. Trust me, nothing out of the ordinary is happening here."

Babak muttered under his breath in disbelief as he walked out.

Babak: "Well, I'm not going to take any chances, thank you very much."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance walked in to see that Jenny was sleeping with her scars glowing blue as a feminine voice spoke before the source of said voice appeared on her bed.

Alphus: "Jenny. Jenny."

As Lance got surprised and saw the ghost, Jenny moaned trying to wake up and saw a woman in white with blue hair.

Alphus: "Jenny, my dear child."

Jenny's vision became clear and confirmed it was her.

Jenny: "Alphus?"

Lance: "Wait, that's Alphus?"

Alphus: "So, you can hear me. That's a relief."

Jenny: "I'm listening, yeah, but why are you here?"

* * *

Far away, the sleeping Allura was visited by a hologram of Alfor who spoke softly to her.

Alfor: "Allura? Allura?"

The mice became surprised and squeaked as Allura woke up and saw him.

Alfor: "Allura, my dear daughter."

Allura: "Father? What are you doing here?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Babak walked in the hall and noticed the hall lights switching off, with them flickering to show a hologram of Alfor in front of him. Babak suspected foul play from this.

Babak: "I'm onto you, Azix! You think you can use these scare tactics to boot us out of the Castle? Well, you'll have to pry it from our cold dead hands!"

Then, a familiar raspy and terrifying laugh echoed throughout the halls.

Zarix: "That's exactly the plan."

Babak: "Where are you, spy?! Show yourself now!"

Zarix: "As you wish..."

When Babak turned behind him, he saw a figure in a cloak with a glowing purple scythe charging at him as it shrieked before shoving him in the airlock and closing it.

Computer: "Opening airlock in 30 ticks."

Zarix: "Have a nice flight."

Then, Zarix laughed maliciously before vanishing with Babak banging on the glass, shouting for help.

Babak: "No. No! Coran! Paladins! Wherever you are, help!"

* * *

At the detainment room, Belle began to ask questions.

Belle: "What was the first rank you held in Zarkon's army? Where did you find the Red and Violet Lions?"

When there wasn't any luck, Shiro placed his hand on her shoulder.

Shiro: "Let me try. What is Zarkon's greatest weakness?"

Just then, a voice responded to him.

Sendak: "What makes you think you can possibly defeat him?"

Shiro and Belle looked around, but couldn't tell where it came from.

Shiro: "You heard that, too?"

Belle: "Yeah. But how come they didn't answer me?"

Shiro: "Well, why don't you try again?"

Belle: "Okay. Why is Kaecilius mass producing Dark Quintessence? What is he attempting to build?"

Then, a different voice responded to him.

Haxxus: "You should know, shouldn't you? You were with him the longest."

As Belle looked toward Haxxus in shock, she began to her scared fast.

Belle: "This is getting creepy way too fast."

Shiro: "If you were to attack Zarkon, where would you strike?"

Sendak: "Why strike at all when you can join him?"

As Shiro and Belle looked at their prisoners, they began to see visions of them being as awake as they were in a flash before reality settled them again.

Shiro: "Belle, I think you might be right."

* * *

At the lab, Pidge, Sandra, and Hunk were working on analyzing the infected crystal from Vaxel's attack on Balmera.

Pidge: "I bet if we can modulate the dynamics of this crystal, we'll be able to reverse engineer a lot of Galra tech."

Sandra: "You mean like you did to Rover?"

Pidge: "Yep. But he's been through a lot, so I'm giving him a break. Anyway, we could accomplish a lot if we reverse engineer them. Don't you think, Hunk?"

When they turned to him, Hunk was staring off into space with a worried look on his face.

Sandra: "Uh, Hunk? We're talking to you."

Then, Hunk turned to them, snapped out of his stupor.

Hunk: "What? No, I'm sorry. That whole food goo ambush really sent me on edge, guys. If we can't trust food, we are lost as a culture."

Pidge: "Relax. I'm sure the Castle's just glitchy."

Sandra: "Yeah, dude. What'd you expect from a Castle that's 10,000 years old?"

Hunk: "Yeah, it does seem like the ship is not currently trying to kill us."

Meanwhile, Pidge was done hooking it up.

Pidge: "Okay, so all the sensors are on the crystal. Hit the switch."

Sandra: "Pfft. What do you think I am? Igor?"

As Pidge made a disgusted face, Hunk ran to the switch and was about to push it when everything and everyone in the room started floating.

Pidge: "Hunk, did you accidentally hit the anti-gravity switch?"

Hunk: "Uh, no. There's no anti-gravity switch. Uh, is there?"

Sandra: "Well, whatever button you pressed, find one to fix it."

Hunk: "Uh, I didn't press any button, okay?"

Then, Pidge reached for the crystal, only to have no luck as she couldn't reach it.

Pidge: "Curse my short arms!"

Sandra: "Okay, so there's nothing to help us move that's within reach."

Hunk: "All right, forget it, guys. I'm going to swim toward you. Just hang on!"

As Hunk tried to "swim", he didn't move anywhere and was still floating where he was.

Sandra: "Uh, you know you're supposed to move, right?"

Hunk: "Give it a minute."

Then, Hunk continued, only to fail and quit a moment after.

Hunk: "That's it. I'm all out of moves."

Sandra groaned just as his stomach grumbled.

Hunk: "Oh, I'm hungry again. I hope some food goo comes oozing out of these walls."

* * *

Meanwhile, Zaltron, Keith, and Lapis were walking through the hall and noticed the lights were off.

Keith: "Uh, what's up with the lights?"

Lapis: "Yeah. I don't remember it being so dark."

Just then, they heard a faint yelling.

Babak: "Help! Anybody help!"

Keith/Lapis: "Babak?"

The trio ran toward the source and found Babak in an airlock.

Babak: "Paladins! Oh, thank the ancients! You've got to get me out of here!"

Lapis: "Don't worry. We'll have you out in a tick."

Then, Lapis moved in and pressed the switch to open the door, allowing Babak to get in just as another door behind him opened as the computer spoke.

Computer: "Doors opening."

Suddenly, as he went in, the Paladins, Zaltron, and Babak were being pulled by the force of the airlock as Zarix revealed himself with a cackle.

Zarix: "Farewell, Paladins of Voltron! May you freeze in peace!"

However, Zaltron got out his sword and used it to slam it on the ground before pulling them in and hitting the door with his fist, closing it and infuriating Zarix.

Zarix: "Argh! No matter. I've got all the time in the world."

Then, Zaria vanished with a cackle before Keith turned to Babak.

Keith: "What were you doing out there?"

Babak: "Well, obviously, I was used for bait! Can't you tell?!"

Lapis: "Wait a tick. Azix said that he was working in the main engine room. And Zarix fell into the pit of it on Arus. So that means..."

Then, Keith and Babak came to that realization as they widened their eyes in shock.

Keith/Babak: "We have to get to the main engine!"

With that, the four of them headed off for the main engine.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny and Lance were being graced with Alphus' presence.

Lance: "Whoa. Who'd have thought she'd be more beautiful up close?"

Jenny heard this and didn't like that comment, until Lance reaffirmed his words to her.

Lance: "Don't worry, Jenny. It's not like I'm gonna leave you for her."

Alphus: "This one apparently shows commitment. I admire that."

Lance: "Why, thank you."

As Lance pointed his fingers at her and put on a dashing smile, Jenny grumbled before speaking.

Jenny: "Okay, like I said, why are you here?"

Alphus: "I've come to warn you."

Jenny: "Warn me. About what?"

Alphus: "The Galra you've defeated before has returned from death's door to claim all of your lives."

Jenny: "Huh? You mean Kaecilius?"

Lance: "No, wasn't it Varek?"

Jenny: "Uh, Vaxel, maybe?"

Then, Lance finally remembered.

Lance: "Oh, right. It was Zarix. We tossed him into the main engine pit."

Then, his eyes widened in shock at the sudden realization of this.

Lance: "Wait, what?! Zarix was a stowaway this whole time?!"

Alphus: "I'm afraid so. During the time between then and now, he's acquired new powers that would allow him to strike anywhere at anytime."

Jenny: "Uh, wasn't he already capable of that before? Why did he just wait for all of that time until now?"

Alphus: "He didn't have a choice. The impact of your rejuvenation must've revived him after his death."

Jenny gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth.

Jenny: "Oh, no..."

Lance: "Then we have to warn everyone and fast!"

Jenny: "Tout sweet!"

Then, the two were about to take off just before Alphus appeared suddenly in front of them.

Alphus: "Hold on."

Lance: "What?! What do you mean 'hold on?' You're the one who just said Zarix is back!"

Alphus: "And he's also very dangerous. You can't defeat him as you are now, but I know a way to defeat him."

Then, Jenny walked up to Alphus and spoke.

Jenny: "Well, if you've got an idea, let's hear it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura was blowing the leaves off of the juniberry flower before Alfor spoke.

Alfor: "Altean flowers are the most beautiful."

Allura: "It is sad that I will only see them in my dreams. But when I wake, my memories are like these spores, scattered in the wind."

Alfor: "Altea is not merely a dream, Allura. It still exists. The Altean flower, you can see it. You can touch it. But once we find it, you'll be able to smell them again."

Allura: "Find it? What are you saying?"

Alfor: "I can take you there. I can take you home."

Allura: "You can?"

Alfor: "Would you like to go home?"

Allura smiled at the hope that Altea would still exist.

Allura: "Yes. I want to go back to Altea, Father."

Alfor: "Then come with me, and I will show you the way."

In reality, the mice watched as Allura stood up and walked out with Alfor before squeaking in confusion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Coran walked into the main engine and noticed Azix unconscious, to his surprise.

Coran: "Azix!"

He ran towards his body to check his pulse and confirmed it was still beating.

Coran: "Oh, thank goodness. You're still breathing. Must've overloaded on you."

As Coran lifted him up, Keith, Babak, Zaltron, and Lapis came through the door and saw Coran holding him by his shoulder.

Keith: "Coran?"

Lapis: "What happened?"

Coran: "How should I know? I found him just like this."

Babak: "How is he doing?"

Coran: "He's just unconscious. He should be up and about in a few vargas."

Keith: "That leaves the lab."

Lapis: "And Allura."

Keith: "We'll check the lab, you can check up on Allura."

Lapis: "Right."

* * *

At the lab, Pidge, Sandra, and Hunk were still floating in zero g as the former came up with an idea.

Pidge: "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. I have an idea. Grab on!"

Then, Sandra and Hunk grabbed her hands, forming a triangle together.

Hunk: "Yeah! We did it!"

Sandra: "But now what?"

Pidge: "Now, throw me as hard as you can!"

Hunk: "What? No, we're friends."

Pidge: "No, no. Throw me so I can fly across the room and get to the control panel."

Sandra: "This better work."

Then, Hunk and Sandra aimed Pidge at the control panel before chucking her to it as she flew towards it. When it seemed within reach, she reached out for it, but as she got closer, Pidge ended up getting farther away from it.

Pidge: "Oh... oh, oh! No, no, no, no, no!"

Then, she hit the wall before hitting the floor and floating back up.

Sandra: "Well, that didn't work."

Suddenly, the zero g went off, causing all three to hit the floor as the door opened.

Sandra: "That did."

Babak: "How can you possibly think of taking a nap when the spy is trying to kill us?!"

Hunk: "Taking a nap? We've been floating around in zero g! You know how scary that is?"

Babak: "That's tame compared to what I went through! I was almost blasted into the cold void of space!"

Hunk: "Well, I got attacked by killer food and that's the most horrifying thing you can imagine! The stuff of nightmares! It'll haunt me to my grave!"

Keith: "Well, we had a ghost trying to kill us!"

Babak: "I don't care what you say, Coran. We have a spy in this Castle out to get us!"

Coran groaned as he tried to figure out what's going on.

Coran: "Perhaps the infection from Kaecilius' bomb is worse than we thought."

Hunk: "Wait. Didn't Jenny get rid of it?"

Coran: "It's too late. When Kaecilius used the Quintessential Bomb, it corrupted the entire system."

Keith: "Speaking of, has anyone seen Shiro or Belle? They were supposed to be finding out if they know anything about his plans."

Zaltron: "Hopefully, they won't be in any danger like the one we've faced today."

* * *

Zaltron couldn't be more wrong as Shiro and Belle were being tortured.

Sendak: "We're connected, you and me. Both part of the Galra Empire."

Shiro: "No! I'm not like you."

Belle: "I'll never be that way again."

Haxxus: "How can you say so for certain? You've been broken and reformed. Your hand is the proof."

Belle looked at her hand in shock as she responded in panic.

Belle: "No... no, that's not me!"

Sendak: "It's the strongest part of you. Embrace it. The others don't know what you know."

Haxxus: "They haven't seen what you've seen."

Sendak/Haxxus: "Face it. You'll never beat Zarkon. He's already defeated you!"

Belle: "No! I'm not listening to you!"

Sendak/Haxxus: "Do you really think that monsters like you could be a Voltron Paladin?!"

Belle: "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Shiro: "STOP IT!"

Then, just as Shiro slammed his fist into the glass, Belle activated her energy sword and cut through Haxxus and his pod as the latter gasped before Belle took a look and saw Galra Quintessence leaking from where she'd stabbed him in fear and began to back away.

Belle: "No. What did I do...?"

Then, Zarix's voice laughed sinisterly before he spoke through Haxxus' corpse.

Zarix: "Once a murderer, always a murderer!"

Belle panicked even more so and slammed on the pod as Shiro did the same to Sendak. As both Galra went shot out to space, Belle began to hyperventilates her hands went on her head, catching Shiro's attention. Instinctively, he went toward her and hugged her.

Shiro: "Calm down, Belle. You're safe. Take a deep breath."

Considering what he went through himself, there was no room for him to talk, but he knew that Belle needed him now that she's become more fragile. She began sobbing on him as she hugged him back.

Belle: "I'm so scared..."

Shiro: "I know. Me, too."

* * *

At the hall, Alphus, Jenny, and Lance were walking as she explained.

Jenny: "So, if my Quintessence revived him, then what's to stop Zarix from attacking us?"

Alphus: "We have to take him to a place where he'll burn up. Most likely, a sun about to go supernova."

Lance: "Uh, isn't that a bad idea? We'd be caught in that explosion!"

Alphus: "Not if we just eject Zarix out into space."

Jenny: "But how are we gonna force Zarix, who's now a ghost, out of the ship?"

Alphus: "I think Alfor might know."

Lance: "Alfor? You mean Allura's dad? You know him?"

Alphus: "It was a long time ago, but yes. All we have to do is find him and..."

However, when they stepped into the main hangar, she, Jenny, and Lance found Allura with Alfor.

Jenny: "Found him."

Alfor: "I remember how you used to dance around this very ballroom. I can still hear you giggling."

Allura: "Oh... those were happy memories."

Alfor: "We can create new memories, Allura."

Alphus: "My thoughts exactly."

Alfor and Allura turned to see Alphus, Jenny, and Lance. Allura grew surprised but none more so than Alfor, who's eyes widened before returning to normal.

Alfor: "Alphus?"

Alphus smiled back at Alfor, knowing he remembered her.

Alphus: "I'm back."

Alfor: "My sister..."

Suddenly, they heard Zarix's maniacal laughter as he rose from the ground.

Zarix: "Isn't that wonderful? A family reunion. Too bad it won't last."

Then, Zarix shrieked as he charged toward them.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group ran to the detainment room to see Belle being hugged by Shiro.

Babak: "Ah, there you are. Where's Sendak and Haxxus?"

Shiro: "We ejected them out. Belle's gotten scared. I was, too."

Belle began to reply in a scared tone as she tried to speak through her tears.

Belle: "H-Haxxus... I-I killed him. I'm a... a monster..."

Keith: "No. The only monster here is Zarix. He's somehow survived the invasion and now he's attacking us."

Zaltron: "We must find him and destroy him before it's too late."

However, they heard an alarm from the Castle.

Babak: "That's impossible."

Shiro: "What's going on?"

Babak: "The ship is preparing for a wormhole jump."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hangar, Jenny and Lance were fighting Zarix, who phased through his rifle and her chain blade.

Zarix: "Mere child's play, at best."

Just then, Lapis entered and saw the commotion.

Lapis: "Allura! What's going on?!"

Allura: "We're going to the nearest dying star to burn Zarix away!"

Zarix overheard this and snarled before readying his scythe.

Zarix: "Not before I tear you to shreds!"

Just as Zarix was about to do so, a shield appeared around her and shocked Zarix by the tip of his scythe, forcing him back before Alfor appeared on the monitors.

Alfor: "Stay away from my daughter!"

Zarix: "You don't know when to stay dead, do you? Fortunately, neither do I."

Then, Zarix sank back into the ship, worrying Alphus.

Alphus: "No! Brother, look out!"

Lapis heard this and grew shocked.

Lapis: "Wait, brother?"

However, it was too late, Zarix had already vanished before the monitor showed the dying star just as the other group arrived.

Babak: "Allura! You have to stop this!"

Just as she tried, she was shocked and booted out of her podium as Alfor appeared in her place.

Allura: "Father, please, I beg of you to turn this ship around. If we don't do it soon, we will all perish."

Then, Alfor spoke in Zarix's voice.

Zarix: "I know. That is my whole plan."

Allura and Lapis grew shocked at his voice.

Allura/Lapis: "What?! Why?!"

Zarix: "I'm in command of this Castle now. And if any of you cause any trouble, you'll go out in a Big Bang!"

As the imposter laughed maniacally, Allura tried to reach out to him.

Allura: "Father, please! You can't let Zarix control you. The Paladins and I can still stop Zarkon! Somewhere in there, you must want that to happen."

Suddenly, Alfor began to short-circuit, surprising Zarix.

Zarix: "What?!"

Jenny: "Hey! Alfor's fighting back!"

Alphus: "Brother?"

Alfor: "Allura, my A.I. has been corrupted! You must disconnect my power source!"

Allura: "I know. Alphus, I need you to do all you can to hold him at bay. We'll go disconnect Father's power source manually."

Coran: "But that means... losing King Alfor forever!"

Lapis, Jenny, Alphus, and Allura widened their eyes before Zarix spoke.

Zarix: "Ah, yes. It seemed I made the right choice. The moment you pull the trigger, he'll be lost forever to the stars! There'll be no getting him back."

Lapis tensed her hand at the thought of losing the one person who helped her through a rough patch. She didn't want it to come to this. But present circumstances left neither Lapis nor Allura with a choice.

Lapis: "I know. But if it means the universe lives, it's a price worth paying."

Allura: "We were always told we must do what's right for our people, even if it means great sacrifice."

Allura/Lapis: "This is no different!"

Zarix: "You fools!"

As the imposter began to attack, Alphus tossed blue chains at him, binding him as she held one hand on the chains.

Alphus: "I'll hold him as long as I can! You do what you need to do!"

Allura nodded to Alphus before turning to the Paladins.

Allura: "Paladins, get to your lions! I need you to slow the Castle's descent into the star."

Then, Jenny ran toward Allura.

Jenny: "I'll come with!"

Allura: "Jenny, I'm glad you want to help, but this is for me and Lapis to do."

Jenny: "Like heck it is! Pardon my French, but I've never spent any time with Alfor. It shouldn't end in a sacrifice if it doesn't have to."

Alphus saw this and handed Jenny a jar with her open hand

As Jenny, Allura, and Lapis ran to the A.I. Chamber, Coran pitched in on his own devices.

Coran: "I can try to override the system to open the hangars."

* * *

Later, the lions appeared outside the Castle and pressed themselves against the Castle to slow it down as Allura, Lapis, and Jenny managed to get to the A.I. Chamber and encounter Alfor and his Quintessence.

Jenny: "Alfor."

Alfor: "This is where my knowledge and memories are stored. Now, Lapis, I need you to destroy it."

Lapis felt like she was being put in the spot, especially since she never wanted to do so.

Lapis: "What?"

Alfor: "It's the only way to defeat Zarix. He can't control what isn't active."

Lapis: "But I... I can't!"

Alfor: "You must."

Lapis: "All of your memories, all of your knowledge will be lost forever! You... you won't be with me anymore! How could I?!"

Alfor: "Do it, Lapis. If you are to live, we must say goodbye."

Lapis tensed and felt a pang in her heart as her tears flowed through her cheeks before she turned to Allura and Jenny before the both of them nodded in agreement. Then, she came to a decision.

Lapis: "I'm really sorry about this, Alfor."

Then, she summoned her bayard before she proceeded to raise it and prepared to strike as Alfor's image and voice suddenly changed to that of Zarix's.

Zarix: "NO!"

Suddenly, Zarix unleashed a bright wave of light, trapping Allura, Jenny, and Lapis in a black void with clouds of memories from Allura. Allura, Lapis, and Jenny looked to one of them and saw one memory of him braiding Allura's hair.

Alfor: _"Allura, my dear daughter."_

Lapis: "Was that a memory?"

Allura: "This isn't real. It's all in the past."

They then ran toward the center and as they got closer, they came upon a memory of herself as a young baby in Alfor's arms before Allura broke down crying just as Alfor walked up.

Alfor: "You don't have to fight, Allura. You don't have to make this sacrifice."

Then, Allura hugged Alfor as she grunted while Lapis did the same.

Lapis: "I love you, Alfor. I mean it. I'll never forget you."

Allura: "Goodbye, Father."

Alfor smiled as he began to shed yellow cracks of light.

Alfor: "Goodbye, Allura."

Suddenly, the cracked image changed to Zarix, who began to shriek in agony.

Zarix: "NOOOOOOOO!"

Then, Zarix finally shattered to pieces as small orbs of light floated around the trio before flowing themselves into the jar that Alphus gave Jenny previously. Once it was done, the jar was sealed before it spread itself to accommodate the space.

Jenny: "You think it worked?"

Lapis: "I hope so."

* * *

At the hangar, the imposter Alfor's image disappeared.

Alphus: "They did it."

With that, Babak spoke to the Paladins from the monitor.

Babak: "Zarix has been erased! Get back in your hangars, now!"

With that, the Lions went back in the Castle which wormholed out of the path of the supernova before the star exploded in a fiery inferno.

* * *

Later, Allura, Jenny, Lapis, Babak, Azix, and the other Paladins were in the hangar, recovering from Zarix's attack.

Shiro: "I'm so sorry about your father, Princess."

Hunk: "We all are."

Lapis, however, had a smile on her face as she held the jar that regained his Quintessence.

Lapis: "I'm not. He's gonna be recovering for some time, but... I'm glad he hasn't left us."

Allura: "Why would he? The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not have been with us otherwise, but either way, his dream lives on in all of us. And his legacy is Voltron."

Then, Jenny thought about her own fate, getting as far as she did with Alphus.

Jenny: "Yeah. Now... I think I just need to figure out my own."

Alphus: "You already know your legacy, my child. To wield the White Lion and be its Paladin. How that will happen is up to you."

As Alphus placed her hand on Jenny's shoulder, she smiled back at her.

Jenny: "Just a question. Are you gonna be there for me?"

Alphus: "Always."

Then, Alphus faded inside of Jenny as their eyes closed. Seeing this, Lance walked up to Jenny, thinking how awful she must've felt.

Lance: "Jenny. You okay?"

Then, Jenny turned to him with a confident smile on her face as the scars vanished without a trace and her hair changed to a blue color.

Jenny: "Yeah. In fact, I've never felt better."

Lance noticed this change and grew surprised, as did the others.

Lance: "I'll say. You look like a new woman."

Jenny blinked her eyes in confusion.

Jenny: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Then, Coran held a mirror to her face.

Coran: "See for yourself."

Jenny grew stunned at her new appearance as she beheld her blue sapphire hair and how perfectly her blue eyes blended. She then smiled at her appearance before speaking.

Jenny: "Wow. I'm like... Alphus Junior."

* * *

At Zarkon's Central Command, a strange figure pacing back and forth in the center of the lab, which housed the Dark Quintessence muttered to himself.

Unknown: "Have you felt it? That surge? It must be quite a rival of yours, isn't it? Ah, but we mustn't rush so far just yet. There's much preparation to be done."

Just then, a soldier walked in to report.

Galra Soldier: "Commander Komar. There was a surge of Dark and Divine Quintessence in one area of the galaxy simultaneously."

Then, the figure known as Komar spoke to the soldier.

Komar: "Don't tell me what I already know. Tell me what happened that I _don't_ know."

The soldier stammered as he apologized.

Galra Soldier: "M-My apologies, sir. The Dark surge vanished after about ten ticks. Only the Divine surge remains now."

Hearing this, Komar opened his left eye to show a dark purple iris with a black pupil.

Komar: "And you're certain of this?"

Galra Soldier: "Yes, Commander."

Komar: "Good. Then the end of days as the universe knows them will come to pass..."

 **A/N: What did you think of this version of the episode? You can be honest with me. For the voice actor of the young Lapis, it is Ariel Winter. As for Komar, it is William Salyers. I figured he'd give Komar enough of a spine-chilling feel to his character. The end of phase 1 is near now...**


	11. Collection and Extraction

**Chapter 10:** Collection and Extraction

 _6 months prior to the present, a young girl with purple eyes, medium raven hair, and a casual white and black clothing walked out in the desert to find a Garrison space shuttle and saw a man with raven hair and a purple eye by it. She walked toward the shuttle before stopping in front of the man._

 _Unknown: "So... your mind's made up, Ayame?"_

 _Ayame: "Yes, Mr. York. I came this far. There's no turning back for me."_

 _Then, Mr. York patted her in the back as he smiled at her._

 _Mr. York: "Then let the new frontier begin."_

* * *

 _The next morning, Jenny was rocked awake by Pidge._

 _Pidge: "Jenny! Wake up!"_

 _Jenny moaned as she blinked her eyes open to see her panicked face._

 _Jenny: "Yeah? What's up?"_

 _Pidge: "Ayame's gone!"_

 _Then, Jenny panicked as badly as she did._

 _Jenny: "She's what?!"_

 _Immediately, Jenny ran to Pidge's quarters and saw a vacant bed beside Pidge's, save for a note. Jenny picked it up and saw the inscription._

 _Dear Jenny,_

 _I've recently found a way to confirm whether or not Shiro is alive. Mr. York provided it for me. I don't know how but he did. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you with me, but believe me when I say I'm trying to keep you safe. If they are gone, I didn't want you to be next. And don't worry. I haven't forgotten about your sister, either. I'll be sure to find them for you. If I haven't by then, I know you'll have better luck. Until then, keep trying for me._

 _Love,_

 _Ayame_

 _Pidge ran in just in time to see Jenny making waterworks as she smiled, much to the genius' confusion._

 _Pidge: "You alright?"_

 _Jenny nodded back to her before Pidge responded._

 _Pidge: "How could you be okay with this?"_

 _Jenny: "Because she's still alive. Who knows how long it'll take before I'll see her again? Until I know for sure, I'm going to keep on trying. For Ayame. And when I'm ready... I'll see her again."_

* * *

At the castle, Pidge was searching through Sendak and Haxxus' memories.

Allura: "Somewhere inside Haxxus and Sendak's memories we should be able to find the inside information that gives us the key to take down Zarkon and Kaecilius."

Jenny: "Yeah, I don't think Alfor would like to hear about this."

Allura: "I know, but we have to do everything we can to defeat Zarkon."

Sandra: "Well, even if we get the data, we'll need to come up with a plan."

Lance: "How's this for a plan? Once we learn all his weaknesses, we can drive up to his front door and challenge him to a fight. Winner gets the universe."

Then, Lance pictured himself standing atop Zarkon's back with the Paladins and the Galra renegades giving him a thumbs up as Allura and Jenny stood by his side looking up to him with a smile. However, that daydream was crashed by Sandra.

Sandra: "Well, that's obviously a sucker bet, you being the sucker."

As Lance growled at her, Shiro got to the matter at hand.

Shiro: "Anything good yet, Pidge?"

Pidge: "We were only able to salvage bits and pieces."

Babak: "Well, there must be something to work with."

Keith: "I agree. Right now, we don't have a decent map of the empire."

Lapis: "Without a lead, we won't know where to strike without any casualties."

Lance: "Who needs a map? After 10,000 years of conquering, I could probably fire my bayard at any random point in space and hit a Galra ship."

Jenny: "Yeah, and maybe some other innocent ship in the process. We can't risk that."

Lance felt sheepish from suggesting that and agreed with her.

Lance: "Oh. Right."

Shiro: "If we could just find troop locations or supply routes, small targets we could hit-and-run, then we could start to free planets one by one."

Then, Lance slid over to Shiro and gave his two cents.

Lance: "Boring. I want the big kaboom."

Belle: "Not the best idea. Zarkon's built his empire for 10,000 years. It's not something we could just tear down overnight. And even if we could, Zarkon would just retaliate with something bigger than your kaboom. And if he doesn't do that, Kaecilius will."

Shiro: "Belle's right. Hitting him where he lives would be a huge mistake."

Then, Pidge found a solution to their problem.

Pidge: "Okay, I've cross-referenced Sendak's memories with the info I got from the downed ship back on Arus. Most of it was a garbled mess, but one thing kept repeating, something called a 'universal station.'"

Lapis: "Universal station? Hold on. I've heard it before."

Keith: "You have?"

Lapis: "Yes, but considering what they use it for, it might as well be some sort of Galactic Hub."

Lance: "Or 'space base.'"

The crowd looked to Lance in confusion, causing him to look back at them before blinking.

Lance: "What?"

Coran: "I'm pulling up the location of your Universal Hub Station Base on our screens now."

Then, Coran revealed three planets in a triangle, earning confusion from Jenny.

Jenny: "Huh? Are you sure it's up, Coran? Because I'm not seeing squat."

Coran: "I don't know. Our long-range sensors are unable to find anything at those coordinates."

Keith: "Maybe he remembered it wrong."

Lapis: "No, Keith. It means we found one of the top-secret bases in one of their memories."

Jenny: "How can you be so sure?"

Allura: "Only one way to find out. Let's go take a look."

Then, the castle took off toward the coordinates.

* * *

Later, as they drew closer to it, Hunk laid on the chair upside-down with his nose blowing out a bubble, grossing Sandra out before Jenny jolted him out, causing him to fall off of it.

Jenny: "If you're gonna sleep, you should do it somewhere else. Preferably not my chair."

Hunk felt embarrassed about that.

Hunk: "Oh, that's your chair?"

Sandra: "How close are we?"

Allura: "We should be close enough to get a good scan, but far enough away to avoid being noticed."

Then, as the castle crept closer to its destination, they saw three Galra cruisers and a giant structure embedded in an asteroid.

Shiro: "There it is."

Lapis: "I knew it."

Babak: "It appears the gravitation between the two planets and that moon warps the electron emission spectrum enough to keep the planet off the deep space scanners."

Jenny: "Like the Bermuda Triangle?"

Babak grew confused and tried to answer her.

Babak: "Well, uh, yes. I suppose?"

Pidge: "So, you can only see it if you really know where to look."

As the Galra cruisers came and went, Shiro had a theory.

Shiro: "This place must handle shipments from all over the Galra Empire."

Pidge: "If this is some big airport where shipments come and go, why is it hidden?"

Then, Zaltron stepped in, as if to answer.

Zaltron: "To hide their Quintessence manufacturing."

Coran didn't seem to believe that.

Coran: "And how would you know?"

Zaltron: "Because I've thwarted many operations such as this in my day. What I couldn't decipher was why."

Coran: "Okay. You're a war veteran. I get it. But to actually make Quintessence? That seems impossible, doesn't it?"

Shiro: "There must be more to this than what we're seeing."

Allura: "Then, we'd better go down to take a look. We'll need to enter here: the central control building."

Then, Keith caught onto what Allura meant.

Keith: "I'm sorry, Princess, did you say 'we'?"

Allura: "I'm going with you. I've traveled through the Galra transportation hubs many times with my father before the war began. I know more about them than either of you."

Coran didn't feel that to be true.

Coran: "Well, what about Lapis, Zaltron, or even Azix? They must know how these hubs work."

Lapis: "Actually, I don't have a clue. I've only heard about the universal stations."

Azix: "I do. But I'm afraid they'll recognize me and I'll put you all at risk."

Then, Coran turned to Zaltron.

Coran: "What about you, big guy?"

Zaltron: "I know about the hubs as well. But I believe Allura is entitled to help her fellow Paladins in this manner."

Coran: "But, Zaltron, I'd rather she stays here."

Zaltron: "I understand that you have your duties, Coran. But Allura has her own to consider as well."

Allura: "He's right. I'm a part of this fight against Zarkon as much as anyone. I'm going. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Lapis: "I'll look after her to help."

The Paladins were speechless as Lapis stood by Allura.

Lapis: "I know that we come from different races, but why should that make us enemies? We all have a role to play. This is mine; to stand by Allura's side, whether she needs me or not."

Then, Shiro raised his hands up in a shrug.

Shiro: "Fine. Suit up."

Coran screamed in panic as the Paladins gasped, except for Jenny who didn't see anything wrong with that.

All: "Huh?"

Jenny: "What's wrong with that? It'll work out."

Then, Allura turned to Lapis.

Allura: "Lapis... thank you."

Lapis: "Just trying to help a friend."

* * *

Later on, the Green Lion moved in towards the dark side of the planet as it began cloaking itself and landing on the asteroid.

 _Shiro_ : " _We'll go in low, fast, and hopefully undetected. Coming around the dark side of the nearest planet should keep them from getting a visual on us. Thanks to Pidge's modifications to the Green Lion, we'll have 30 seconds of cloaking."_

 _Coran: "I can flood their short-range sensors with a radiation burst. That should But you a minute or so, while they assume it's cosmic interference. But, after that, it's up to you to be out of sight."_

In the central command station, a voice spoke to the officers.

Male voice: "Interference clear in three, two, one."

One of the officers yawned before Belle got his attention.

Belle: "Psst. Hey."

Galra Soldier: "Hmm?"

Belle knocked him off of the station, getting the attention of two drones before she took them out. Then, she gave them the all clear.

Belle: "That's all of them."

Once they got out, the Paladins moved the drones away and Hunk set up a laptop as Pidge got to work.

Hunk: "This shouldn't take long."

Jenny: "How do you know?"

Pidge: "We'll have all the information we need in a few minutes. Hunk and I made some improvements since the last time we tried to download Galra info. We should get a nice, clean translation immediately. Hunk had a great idea about how to do it."

Sandra: "Is that a fact?"

Hunk: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you guys remember when we studied algorithms at the Garrison, and Mr. York told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets?"

Lance: "Boring!"

Jenny turned to Lance and glared at him while Hunk told himself off.

Hunk: "Right, yeah, totally, it was boring. Anyway, the joke goes—"

Lance groaned before Hunk could tell the joke, just as Keith spoke up.

Keith: "Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt, but I think we got company."

He couldn't be more right as a giant Galra cruisers just landed.

Keith: "Think we should get out of here?"

Pidge: "We just need a few more seconds."

Shiro: "Stay low. We need this intel."

Then, they noticed a transmission coming on.

Keith: "Duck!"

Then, Jenny muffled her yelp as she and the other Paladins ducked under the desk. On the transmission, a scarred face with scattered raven hair and a purple eye spoke.

Komar: "This is General Komar. I'm requesting permission to board this station."

Hearing his name, Lapis felt it to be familiar as she'd knew she'd heard it before.

Lapis: "Komar..."

Pidge pondered a question that popped up in her mind.

Pidge: "Why does he sound so familiar?"

Then, Komar spoke up again.

Komar: "Well? I'm waiting."

Hunk: "I got it."

Then, Hunk picked up the pieces of a drone and used it as a puppet to swipe the list and waved him in with a thumbs-up, perplexing Komar as he blinked his eye.

Komar: "Uh... thank you."

Then, the transmission ended before Hunk and Pidge drew a breath of relief.

Hunk/Pidge: "Phew."

* * *

Inside the Galra cruiser, a soldier spoke to him.

Galra Soldier: "Uh, sir? Is something the matter?"

Komar: "Obviously, something's amiss in this station."

Galra Soldier: "What should we do?"

In response to his question, Komar smiled a wicked grin as his purple eye glowed.

Komar: "We'll land as planned. If anything else happens, I'm always the first to know... Bring me Ayame. She'll be very interested to see this."

* * *

At the control center, Lance congratulated Hunk.

Lance: "Nice job, Hunk."

Hunk: "Thanks."

Then, the laptop has finished inputting the data.

Pidge: "Okay, download complete."

Keith: "What's it say?"

Pidge: "Nothing. This place doesn't have any useful information. Just a schedule of the ships coming in and out."

Lance decided to abandon ship right away.

Lance: "Well, I guess this mission was a bust."

Shiro: "Let's get back to the Castle."

Then, Allura spoke up to Pidge.

Allura: "Hold on, Pidge. Do you know where that ship is headed?"

Pidge: "Um, it's scheduled to be here for about a half hour, then head off to Central Command."

Lapis: "That means that this ship may have the info we're looking for."

Allura: "My thoughts exactly, and I'm goofing to sneak aboard and get it for us."

Lance: "What? No way!"

Jenny: "Yeah, I agree this time. You'll be spotted right away. How are you gonna get past them without being noticed?"

Allura took off her helmet before answering.

Allura: "I'm going to walk right through the front."

Then, she closed her eyes before she suddenly gained a light purple skin and grew to the height of the Galra as the group gasped in awe.

Hunk: "How the heck did you do that?"

Allura: "The Alteans are a chameleon-like people who can blend in with the local populations. It's the ability that's made us great explorers and diplomats throughout our history."

Then, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny bombarded her with questions.

Lance: "So, can you turn into, like, a balloon?"

Pidge: "How many different colors can you be at once?"

Hunk: "Aren't you afraid you'll rip your pants?"

Jenny: "Can you make yourself fat?"

The whole group looked at Jenny weirdly for that question. In turn, she blushed out of embarrassment.

Jenny: "Sorry. I've got a weird fetish."

Allura: "No, just one at a time, I will need a change of costume, and..."

Then, Allura leaned into Jenny's ear before whispering.

Allura: "Yes."

Jenny smiled like a Cheshire Cat at this before she decided to be professional as she cleared her throat.

Jenny: "So, uh, what do we do?"

Allura: "I can use his uniform as a disguise."

Jenny: "What about me?"

Allura: "You'll stay here and keep an eye on things until a new situation comes to light."

Shiro: "I can't let you go in there alone."

Allura: "Excuse me? I do not need your permission."

Belle: "Even with Lapis, it's too dangerous. I'm going in with you, too."

Allura: "You too, Belle? The both of you will stick out like a Choferiak's nose."

Lapis: "Actually, you're going to need those noses. Their arms are made from Galra tech. They can allow us to interface with their systems and gather intel."

Pidge: "Lapis is right. With their help, I can monitor the download from here."

Allura didn't like this, but due to overwhelming pros over cons, she had little choice.

Allura: "Fine. You can come."

Hunk: "Well, you guys better hurry up if you want to get on and off before the ship leaves for Zarkon central."

Keith: "How are you going to get Shiro and Belle on board?"

Then, Shiro, Belle, Lapis, and Allura looked to each other before smiling at each other.

* * *

Later, the disguised Allura carted a box of supplies with Shiro, Lapis, and Belle inside before a voice stopped her.

Galra Soldier: "Halt."

Then, Allura did just that as she noticed two containers of a yellow substance moving to the station by two soldiers before one of them spoke to her.

Galra Soldier: "Move along."

Then, Allura moved in with the container before drawing a breath of relief. Up on the control center, Lance informed the group.

Lance: "They're in."

Then, Keith and Jenny looked down to see Kaecilius in front of two soldiers with the containers of the yellow substance.

Keith: "Him again."

Jenny: "What do you think they have in all those giant containers?

Hunk: "Well, I suspect that it's sporks."

The group turned to Hunk and gave him a weird look.

Jenny: "Sporks? Really?"

Hunk: "What? This is an advanced race we're talking about here. Surely, they've learned that it's foolish to have forks and spoons when one tool will efficiently do the job."

Pidge: "Maybe this guy will tell us. What is coming in and out of this station?"

The drone sensed its brain being picked at and reacted.

Galra Drone: "Interrogation detected. Initiating lockdown."

Then, the drone's head slumped down as it closed itself off. However, Pidge only smiled at this.

Pidge: "Not talking, eh?"

Then, Jenny noticed a familiar face walking out of the ship, as did Keith, though he couldn't recognize him.

Jenny: "Whoa. Check out this guy."

Keith: "Whatever's happening here that requires the base to be kept secret must have something to do with that scary dude."

Then, Jenny noticed a scar on his left eye and a purple eye as her heart began to beat fast.

Jenny: "Wait... Isn't that...? It can't be..."

Then, another person walked out, in Galran clothing with purple eyes and medium raven hair. That got Jenny on edge as her heart practically began beating out of her chest just as Keith grew surprised.

Keith: "No way."

Pidge: "Is that...?"

Jenny: "Ayame... it's her..."

Lance and Keith noticed her panicking and hyperventilating as they tried to cool her down.

Lance: "Whoa, Jenny, calm down!"

Keith: "Calm down."

When she didn't heed them, Lance hugged her and brushed her hair gently as her breathing slowed down, as did her heartbeat.

Lance: "It's okay, Jenny. Keep cool."

Then, after she took a deep breath, Jenny began to tear up.

Jenny: "Lance. I... I..."

Lance: "Shhh. It's okay. I'm here for you."

Jenny: "I never thought I'd see her again..."

Lance: "Huh? See who?"

Pidge: "Ayame. She's really here..."

Then, Jenny stood up and knew what to do.

Jenny: "I'm getting her out of there."

Due to his own history with Ayame, Keith wanted to help her.

Keith: "I'll go with you, Jenny. She's my friend, too."

Lance, who was out of the loop, wanted an explanation.

Lance: "Okay, seriously, what's the big deal with this girl?"

Jenny: "She's an old friend, Lance. That's all you need to know for now. I'll explain once I get her back."

Then, she began walking toward the door, as did Keith, much to Lance's chagrin.

Lance: "How about we just lay low and you don't blow our cover?"

Jenny and Keith ignored Lance as they kept walking.

Lance: "Guys, think about what you're doing."

Jenny: "Been there, done that."

Lance: "Don't walk through that door!"

Jenny then stopped just outside the door before snapping at him.

Jenny: "You don't get to tell me what to do!"

Lance grew shocked at her outburst before she spoke onward.

Jenny: "I've lost her for six months, Lance! I'm not letting her slip away again!"

Then, she ran out the door as Sandra called out to her.

Sandra: "Jenny, wait!"

Then, the door closed on the group that stayed as Lance was dumbfounded.

Lance: "What happened?"

Then, Pidge spoke to Lance.

Pidge: "There's a lot you don't know, Lance."

* * *

At the cruiser, Allura, Belle, Lapis, and Shiro were sneaking along the ship's walls just as Shiro received a flashback of his time in prison.

* * *

 _He timed the drone's movements as he tapped on the wall._

* * *

Allura and the others checked on him.

Allura: "Shiro, are you alright?"

Shiro: "I just remembered how I escaped from the Galra prison ship. Listen, most of the ship's personnel are sentries."

Allura: "So?"

Then, Lapis got the point of that.

Lapis: "Of course. We timed their patterns before."

Allura: "Do you remember it?"

Shiro: "Let's find out."

Then, he waited for a drone to pass by before he tapped in the wall and ran to another wall as soon as they were certain that it was safe.

Belle: "That's really good thinking."

Shiro: "Thanks."

Then, they went to another wall to go along with.

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Jenny kept an eye on Kaecilius, Komar, and Ayame as they walked to the factory, listening to their conversation.

Kaecilius: "You've shown poor judgment bringing this heathen creature here."

Komar: "Watch your words, Kaecilius. You should know she has feelings."

Kaecilius: "That doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Showing her our work would allow Xaira to use it against us and quite possibly become our rival."

Komar: "There is that possibility. But I'm also relying upon a few certain... guests to retrieve her. In my experience, it's best to expect the unexpected, especially when you see it coming beforehand."

As they talked, Ayame looked up the walls and saw two Paladins atop a structure and grew surprised before blinking her eyes, only to see that they've vanished. All the while, Kaecilius growled at Komar.

Kaecilius: "You make a fine point where it's due, I'll admit that much. But know that it didn't fail to aggravate me."

Komar glared at him back before turning to Ayame.

Komar: "Message received. Come, Ayame."

Then, they noticed Ayame looking up at the structure before Komar spoke again.

Komar: "Ayame."

Ayame turned to Komar in confusion.

Ayame: "What?"

Komar: "Come here."

Ayame: "Sorry. I just... I thought I saw someone."

At that point, Komar smiled as he'd turned his back on her.

Komar: "Really? Well, it's best to keep your eyes open. Come."

Then, Ayame nodded before he walked with them, unaware that Jenny and Keith were watching.

Jenny: "Did you see that?"

Keith: "Yeah. That guy looks so familiar."

Jenny: "That's because he's Mr. York. He took her to space to find Shiro and my sis 6 months ago."

Keith: "Then what are they doing with the Galra?"

Jenny: "Only one way to find out."

Then, Jenny and Keith leaped off of the structure before they went in just as the gate would've closed on them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk began to tinker with the drone, causing him to hit its head with its hand as he laughed.

Hunk: "Why are you hitting yourself? Stop hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!"

Pidge had had enough of Hunk's tomfoolery.

Pidge: "Stop torturing it, Hunk."

Hunk explained himself as he kept at it.

Hunk: "I'm sorry. I just... I need something to keep me busy, so I'm not worried about Keith and Jenny getting caught, or Shiro, Lapis, Belle, and Allura getting blasted by robot things, or someone finding us here, like right now."

Annoyed with Hunk's habit, Pidge slapped his hands.

Pidge: "Stop it, Hunk! I think we can teach it to help us. Would you like to help us, Mr. Robot?"

As a response, the drone rapidly shook its head before pausing and resuming the shaking in a pattern.

Pidge: "Whoops."

Then, Lance couldn't take the suspense and spoke to Sandra.

Lance: "Okay, just tell me. Why did Jenny just snap at me over that girl?"

Sandra: "You mean you don't know? Ayame was one of her best friends since joining the Garrison. She, Pidge, and Jenny both thought they lost someone they cared about. But when Jenny had an idea that they're still alive, she brought them closer together because of the hope she'd given them. She wanted the three of them to go into space together to search for them. Until Mr. York caught wind of that and offered to help Ayame. She wanted Jenny and Pidge to come with her, but he wouldn't let them go with, because he knew that they'd fulfill their lives on Earth. Ayame eventually agreed to his terms and left a note for the two of them. Pidge was obviously upset, but Jenny? She's really proud of her for jumping at the chance. Since then, she's made a promise that when she was ready, she'd find her too."

Lance took in every bit of the story involving her and Ayame and grew amazed.

Lance: "Whoa. Why didn't she ever tell me?"

Sandra: "Can you blame her? You've been flirty back then. Bringing her around you might've made it worse."

Lance: "Hey, that's—"

He attempted to retaliate, but couldn't deny the truth.

Lance: "actually accurate."

Sandra nodded as she replied.

Sandra: "Mm-hmm."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Jenny snuck into the processing plant where Komar showed Ayame its function as the yellow substance entered the circle and flowed in the same shape as a spring.

Komar: "Do you know why we're here?"

Ayame: "You were going to show me how Quintessence is manufactured."

Komar: "Of course. Because one day, you'll carry out that work to benefit the greater good."

Komar then motioned to Kaecilius to carry out his work before he fired purple lightning at it, changing the color of the substance and causing it to leak out of the bottom and fill up another container below before it went along. He then turned to Ayame before speaking.

Komar: "Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

Ayame didn't have an answer as she replied questionably.

Ayame: "I guess?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro and the others found a control room and noticed two Galra drones before Shiro went in and took them out. After that, he put them to the wall before the group got in.

Shiro: "We only have a few minutes before the next patrol comes by. Watch the door."

Allura: "Got it."

Then, they got onto the computer before he and Belle placed their metal hands on it to interface with it.

Shiro: "Okay, Pidge. Start the download."

Pidge: "Generating access code."

Then, the code automatically installed itself before it opened up.

Pidge: "We're in."

Then, the computer blocked them out after a moment.

Shiro: "Pidge, I think there's a problem."

Pidge: "Sit tight. I'm trying to work around this."

As Pidge did so, the computer did some work of its own.

Computer: "Scanning for information."

Shiro: "Pidge?"

Pidge: "I'm on it, I'm on it!"

However, things took a turn for the worse as a soldier wandered to their area.

Galra Soldier: "What's going on here? Who are you?"

Allura got in front of him and spoke to him.

Allura: "It's about time you got here. Where's the rest of your squad?"

Galra Soldier: "Uh, what squad?"

Shiro whispered to Pidge as the situation escalated.

Shiro: "Hurry up, Pidge."

Pidge: "Almost there."

Allura: "The squad that is to escort me and my associates to our ship."

Galra Soldier: "Who's back there? What's going on?"

Allura: "We are part of Zarkon's high command. Our work must not be disturbed."

Galra Soldier: "Where's Chief Information Officer Plytox?"

Allura: "Uh, he's in there. Say hello, Plyrox."

Shiro saw it as his cue and spoke in a deep voice.

Shiro: "It's 'Plytox!'"

Allura: "Oh, sorry. See?"

Galra Soldier: "Oh. Vrepit Sa, sir! I get his name wrong all the time, too."

Then, the soldier walked away before Allura drew another breath of relief.

Allura: "Phew."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Jenny tried to analyze the situation while the former used his helmet to give the groups at the Castle and out a visual.

Keith: "Coran, you need to see this."

* * *

At the Castle, Coran, Babak, Azix, and Zaltron saw what Keith was seeing as he gasped.

Coran: "I've never seen anything like it."

* * *

Pidge: "What is that?"

Then, the drone's red mechanism turned yellow before answering.

Galra Drone: "The material is Quintessence, the substance with the highest known energy per unit volume in the universe."

Lance: "Hey, nice job, Pidge! You made him work for us."

* * *

Coran: "What? Impossible."

Zaltron: "I warned you of this."

* * *

Galra Drone: "Raw Quintessence material is transported here throughout the galaxy and refined into standardized Galra fuel requirements."

Pidge: "Did you guys hear that?"

Sandra: "Yeah."

* * *

Coran: "I can't believe it! They've found a new way to acquire Quintessence!"

Then, Coran turned to Zaltron and spoke to him.

Coran: "I'm sorry I doubted you, Zaltron."

* * *

Keith: "Guys, I'm going to help Jenny get Ayame back and steal some of this quint-whatever."

Then, they snuck onto closer to Komar and Ayame, inadvertently catching the former's attention.

Ayame: "Is something wrong?"

Komar: "Wait here. We're not alone."

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura and Lapis stood watch while Shiro and Belle tried to get the information just as another soldier appeared and caught Lapis' notice.

Lapis: "Allura, distract him."

Allura: "What?"

Galra Soldier 2: "Um..."

Allura turned to the soldier who spoke to her.

Allura: "Huh?"

Galra Soldier 2: "Do you think I could get assigned to Zarkon's unit? Nothing happens on this ship."

Allura: "Oh, well, I don't know. What's your bloodthirstiness on the scale of one to five. One being, 'No thanks, I'm full,' and five being 'Unquenchable.'"

The soldier took a moment to think before answering.

Galra Soldier 2: "Hmm... If I'm being honest, about a three."

Allura: "We'll work on that."

Galra Soldier 2: "Well, sure. But, you know, Zarkon's not always bloodthirsty."

Allura doubted that as she frowned.

Allura: "And why not?"

Galra Soldier 2: "Well, I think he puts on this mean and heartless exterior to cover up his feelings from..."

The soldier's face darted left to right before he whispered into her ear.

Galra Soldier 2: "the loss of his daughter."

Allura grew surprised as she gasped.

Allura: "Zarkon had a daughter?"

Galra Soldier 2: "Yep. Sure did. He called her 'Xaira.' That's all we know about her. Well, that and we lost her since she was a baby. You didn't know?"

Allura: "It's, uh, my first day."

However, the alarm that rang out alerted the soldier to their true intentions.

Allura: "Huh?"

Galra Soldier 2: "Huh?"

Computer: "Fugitive prisoners 117-9875 and 117-9876 detected. Remain where you are. Security alerted."

The soldier didn't know what to make if the situation and panicked.

Galra Soldier 2: "Uh, help! Intruders!"

Allura shut the door, only for the soldier to bang at it as she backed away.

Shiro: "I think we're in trouble."

Allura: "You think?!"

Then, Lapis took charge of the situation with no hesitation.

Lapis: "Stand back."

Then, Lapis charged at the door, breaking through it and flattening the soldier like a pancake before removing the door. The soldier then fell to the floor in a daze as she took his weapon. The group looked at her in confusion before Lapis spoke to them.

Lapis: "What?"

Allura: "Never mind."

Shiro: "Let's go!"

With that, they took off and headed to the hall as a pack of drones ran after them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Komar looked around for any sign of the intruders present in the room as another container of Dark Quintessence was prepared. All the while, Keith and Jenny waited for the right moment to snag a container of Quintessence. The moment came and Jenny successfully grabbed it, but also had difficulty trying not to spill it, making a small clattering before Komar and Kaecilius darted their eyes to them, only to find nothing. However, they knew better and Komar drew an exhale through his nose before they vanished. Then, Keith and Jenny tried to check the area for any sign of the Druids. Just as they jumped out and got ready to strike, Ayame turned to see Jenny and Keith as she gasped before the former shushed her.

Ayame: "Jenny? Keith? What are you guys doing here?"

Keith: "It's a long story. We're getting you out of here."

However, Komar's voice begged to differ.

Komar: "No one is leaving."

Keith: "Mm?"

Suddenly, Komar appeared behind him and smacked a mace-like weapon across Keith's face, knocking him to the ground and dropping the container to the ground, much to Jenny's surprise.

Jenny: "Keith!"

Then, Komar spoke to them as he picked up the container Keith dropped from the attack.

Komar: "You shouldn't have stuck your noses where they didn't belong."

Ayame tried to convince Komar to stand down.

Ayame: "Mr. York, stop this! They're my friends!"

Komar: "Didn't know, don't care."

Keith got up angrily and got his bayard ready in the form of a sword.

Keith: "Okay, plan B!"

Keith darted toward Komar, who placed the container back where it was, just before Keith could get to him. Right when he would've been attacked, he vanished and popped up in one area before Jenny tried to attack and failed as he vanished again and popped up in another area. Then, Kaecilius fire purple lightning from a spire up above at Jenny, who evaded the blast and glared at him.

Kaecilius: "There's no need for impatience. You'll face me now."

Then, Keith took the opportunity to attack Kaecilius from behind, only to be blocked by Komar's mace. Keith growled at Komar as he returned his own snarl before he thrust it forward, knocking Keith clear into a container, breaking it and spilling its contents on him. Ayame watched in horror as the battle went down.

Ayame: "Keith!"

Keith looked at his hand stained in the substance before looking toward Komar and Kaecilius.

Kaecilius: "Such a pitiful attempt."

Komar: "But they'll be punished severely, all the same."

Then, Keith spoke to Pidge in the transmission.

Keith: "Pidge! I need an extraction now! Hurry!"

Ayame overheard this and grew surprised.

Ayame: "Pidge?"

Then, Komar shouted to her.

Komar: "What are you waiting for? Detain him!"

Keith turned to Ayame, who tried to make up her mind about what to do before she came to a decision and suddenly prepared dark orbs in her hands, surprising Jenny and Keith.

Jenny: "What the...?"

Keith: "Ayame, why are you doing this?"

Ayame: "I'm sorry. But I have to do this. It's the only way to find Shiro and Belle."

The moment Jenny heard this, she decided to make it easier for her.

Jenny: "Well, then, you can stop this! We've already found Shiro and Belle!"

Ayame heard this and grew hopeful.

Ayame: "R-Really?"

Komar sensed what they were up to and tried to win her back.

Komar: "Don't listen to them! They'll say anything to break your focus! Detain them, now!"

Then, Ayame looked back to Jenny, who gave her a pleading look before she spoke.

Ayame: "You sure you've found them?"

Jenny nodded before speaking.

Jenny: "Have I ever lied to you?"

Ayame smiled at her before she took a deep breath and ceased her dark magic before Kaecilius appeared and knocked her back.

Kaecilius: "Just as I would expect from a mortal."

Then, Kaecilius fired purple lightning at the two of them, knocking them to the ground below.

Ayame: "No!"

Then, Kaecilius turned to Komar before speaking.

Kaecilius: "This debacle is your mess. You sort this out."

Then, Kaecilius vanished, leaving Komar to deal with Keith and Jenny.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro, Allura, Lapis, and Belle were running in the hall.

Shiro: "Pidge, fire up the Green Lion! We're coming in hot!"

As they ran, they evaded the shots fired at them, only to notice an new set of drones in front of them. In panic, she fired at them, only to fire at a drone behind her.

Allura: "What?"

Confused, she looked at the weapon before looking behind her to see a drone falling behind her. Then, Belle and Shiro took over and sliced the drone's to pieces before Shiro reprimanded Allura about the fact that she held her weapon backwards.

Shiro: "I thought you said you'd traveled around the galaxy. I mean, you fly a spaceship. How can you not know how to hold this correctly?"

Allura countered as they ran farther away.

Allura: "I'm tense! This is a tense situation!"

Then, an alert appeared and spread throughout the ship.

Ship: "Secure hatches. All personnel take positions for departure."

* * *

At the control center, Pidge got all the information she could before closing the laptop.

Pidge: "Let's move!"

Sandra/Hunk/Lance: "Right!"

* * *

At the factory, Komar looked down on Jenny and Keith.

Keith: "Why did you take Ayame from us?!"

Komar: "I'm sure you've heard this in class. It takes a true leader to know when to make hard decisions, when to strike, and when to make sacrifices. Like when I traded Shiro to the Galra Empire."

Hearing this, Ayame grew shocked as she gasped while putting her hands over her mouth.

Jenny: "What?! Shiro was abducted with my sis!"

Komar: "No. He and your sister were merely selected. During my time on Earth, I went under the guise of Mr. York to analyze the list of worthy candidates. So far, only Shiro and Belle were the top choices. After that, I made certain to put them as far away from the Solar System as possible in order to capture them. Zarkon wanted boundless Quintessence in his fingertips. I gave him the soldiers who can provide them: Kuron and Kren. But despite this, I remained on Earth for six more months to avert suspicion. Ayame over here was only here to be the third charm when Kuron and Kren inevitably failed. What's the lives of a few students when the Garrison could rule by Zarkon's side?"

Having heard this, Ayame grew angry and began to summon a dark purple orb of energy as Keith spoke to him.

Keith: "You don't care about the Garrison. You just care about yourself."

Komar snapped at Keith as he raised his mace.

Komar: "I AM THE GARRISON!"

Then, just as he was about to smite Keith, a dark orb hit him in the back, knocking him away to the floor before friend and foe alike turned to see Ayame with an angry look as she panted and walked toward Komar.

Ayame: "How could you?! You looked me right in the eye and promised me you'd help find Shiro and Belle, but you sold them to the Galra? Why?!"

Komar could only back away as a dark mist swirled around her, surprising Keith and Jenny.

Ayame: "I believed you, and you lied to me!"

Ayame fired another orb with one hand at Komar, who lost his mace to her blast before she planted her foot in his chest.

Ayame: "Tell me! Where are they?!"

Then, Komar nervously stammered as he spoke to her.

Komar: "I-I don't know where they went! They've escaped the Galra. That's the last I've heard of them!"

Ayame didn't believe him as she prepared another orb and prepared to strike him with it before she yelled.

Ayame: "LIAR!"

Then, Komar smiled before the dark mist around her spread itself around her as her pupils suddenly dilated before she began to shout in pain and anger, mich to Komar's joy and Keith and Jenny's worry.

Keith: "What did you do?!"

Komar: "It's not what I've done. It's what _she's_ done."

Then, Jenny figured it out.

Jenny: "You mean Xaira's doing this to her?"

Komar only chuckled before he vanished while Ayame knelt to the floor and gripped her head as she yelled. Jenny struggled to get up from the damages caused by Kaecilius and Komar and put her arms around Ayame before shouting to reach her as Jenny got caught in the dark mist.

Jenny: "Ayame, please calm down! I'm here now! Keith, Hunk, Pidge, everyone! They're here for you!"

Ayame: "But... Belle... and Shiro..."

Jenny: "They're with us! They're with the Paladins of Voltron! Heck, they are the Paladins of Voltron! Just please... don't let Xaira control you."

Then, just as Jenny's hands produced a bright blue glow where she laid her hands and spread through her, Ayame began to calm down and hug her back as the dark mist vanished. Ayame began to sob lightly on her shoulder before she spoke.

Ayame: "Jenny... thank you..."

Jenny: "Actually... I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Then, Keith smiled at them before he held his hand out for her.

Keith: "You alright?"

Ayame wiped the tears from her face before she nodded and took his hand and stood up just as the Green Lion burst through the wall and opened its mouth, revealing Sandra.

Sandra: "Get in! We've got to get to Shiro and Allura!"

Jenny nodded to Pidge before Ayame asked her.

Ayame: "What is that thing?"

Jenny: "I'll explain later. How did you do that cool dark magic stuff?"

Ayame: "I'll explain later."

Then, they heard a yell behind them and saw Komar lunging at Jenny and grabbing her hand.

Keith/Ayame: "Jenny!"

Komar: "I'm not leaving empty-handed!"

Then, he and Jenny vanished from sight, much to the horror of Keith, Ayame, and Pidge.

Pidge: "They've gone!"

Keith then brought an update to everyone.

Keith: "Everyone, Jenny just disappeared!"

Lance: "What?! What do you mean she disappeared?!"

Keith: "Komar captured her."

Sandra, having heard this, jumped out of the Green Lion, to their surprise.

Keith: "Sandra? What are you—?"

Sandra: "Just go on without me. I'll stay hidden in the ship and find them."

Keith knew her sister usually comes through and simply nodded to her.

Keith: "Okay. Be safe."

Sandra gave him a signal with two fingers pointing upward as she smiled before the Green Lion closed its mouth. At the same moment, Ayame noticed Keith's hand stained in the yellow substance.

Ayame: "Your hand."

Keith looked to see the substance being absorbed into him in confusion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro, Allura, Belle, and Lapis were trying to find a way off.

Belle: "What's the plan?"

Shiro: "The escape pods are up here!"

However, when they got there there was only one left.

Lapis: "You might want to change your grammar."

Male Voice: "Formulating navigation. All crew assume secure hyper-speed positions."

Belle: "Oh, great. We better hurry! We can't leave once this ship goes into hyper-space!"

Then, Lapis pushed the button on the door closing them on their drones. However, the drones were able to pry it open before Allura gripped the doors and tried to close it back while Shiro and Belle tried to melt it. However, they were pressed for time as the pod's doors began closing.

Allura: "It's taking off! Get in the pod!"

Shiro: "We're not leaving without you!"

Allura: "You have to!"

Then, to Allura's surprise she was gripped by Lapis and tossed to the pod before she gripped Shiro and Belle and chucked them into the pod as well. Allura ran to Lapis and spoke to her.

Allura: "Lapis! What are you doing?!"

Lapis: "You heard Keith. Jenny's been captured, and I have to help her."

Allura: "There has to be another way!"

Lapis: "There isn't, Allura. There's no two ways about it; I _have_ to do this. If you're captured, Zarkon would have Voltron. I can't let that happen. You know that, too."

Allura gasped as the door that the drones were prying began opening up.

Allura: "But what about you?!"

Lapis: "This is bigger than just me. When you get back, tell Keith and my father... that they'll know where to find me."

Then, Allura began pounding on the door as she tried to get out of the pod.

Allura: "No! No, you can't!"

Shiro: "Allura, stop!"

Belle: "It's what she wants."

Then, the pod took off in great speed before the cruiser went into hyper-space, much to Allura's heartache before her hand that rested on the window tightened to a fist.

Allura: "I'll come back for you, Lapis. I promise."

* * *

Later, Shiro, Allura, and Belle got in the Green Lion, noticing Ayame as well.

Shiro: "Ayame?"

Ayame: "Takeshi?"

Then, Ayame hugged Shiro as the both of them drew their breaths.

Shiro: "What are you doing here?"

Ayame: "I was looking for you. If it wasn't for Jenny... I wouldn't have."

Then, Shiro spoke to her.

Shiro: "That's why we're going back for her. And Lapis, too."

Hunk: "But wasn't that ship headed to Zarkon's central command?"

Keith: "The one place that's too dangerous for us to attack?"

Shiro: "It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. We can't let Zarkon, Kaecilius, or Komar get Jenny."

Allura: "But you said going there would be a huge mistake. You said for us to attack that place head-on would be to have the universe to Zarkon."

Shiro: "I know. But now we don't have a choice."

Then, the group looked to outer space as they pondered what to do.

 **A/N: Hello. Sorry, it took me so long to post this chapter. In case you're wondering, the newest character in this story is Ayame Shirogane. She belongs to Akame-No-Senshi for this character, so be sure to send her a like or two. She is voiced by Arryn Zech as far as voice actresses. And if you want to know more about her, look her up at google and the rest should take care of itself. Have a good day. :)**


	12. Inside Job

**Chapter 11:** Inside Job

At the Castle, Babak, Coran, Zaltron, and Azix were waiting for the pod to arrive. When it did, Shiro, Allura, Belle, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Ayame came through the door.

Shiro: "Pidge, scan the download from the ship. Find out where Zarkon's central command is."

Pidge: "On it!"

Coran: "What happened? Where's Jenny and Lapis?"

Allura: "Jenny was captured by Komar and Lapis sacrificed herself to ensure our escape."

Azix: "What about Sandra?"

Keith: "She stayed behind to help rescue them. I don't think she's been noticed yet."

Coran: "How is that possible?"

Shiro: "Coran, I'm sorry things didn't go as planned, but we can't focus on what went wrong. We've got to figure out how to make it right. Pidge, anything?"

Pidge pulled up the information and found an entry point.

Pidge: "Guys, look at this."

With that, she revealed a giant ship with five planets orbiting each other. Babak noticed one of the planets outlined around it and saw the very planet he thought was destroyed orbiting around it.

Babak: "No... Altea? But how is that possible?!"

Zaltron: "It is concerning to say the least. Why would Altea be held captive by Zarkon's command center?"

Pidge: "I don't know, but I think we should go in right away. Every minute we waste means a bigger risk of Sandra being noticed and Jenny and Lapis not breathing."

Lance: "I agree. We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands, and walk away."

Hunk: "Uh, do you guys not remember the Balmera? We could barely take out one fleet. But this... a base this size could have a thousand fleets!"

Then, Allura spoke up.

Allura: "Or maybe we shouldn't go on this mission at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering Voltron to Zarkon's hands, or worse."

Hunk felt it to be dark.

Hunk: "Wow, Allura, that's cold, especially for you. Jenny is back there. You wouldn't leave Jenny, would you? Would you?"

Allura: "I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking about the universe's safety."

Lance: "No, you're thinking of yourself, because you're too scared to do what's right!"

Pidge: "Okay, we're all upset because we lost Jenny and Lapis."

Then, Keith began to act vicious towards Allura.

Keith: "No! Allura lost Lapis!"

Ayame tried to calm Keith down to no avail.

Ayame: "Keith..."

Lapis: "You hated her since day one just because she was Galra! Do you have any idea how many times she risked her neck to help you?! YOU LEFT HER TO DIE!"

Then, Lance stepped up in her defense.

Lance: "Oh, yeah? Well, think about it this way. Jenny was with you, Keith. Why did you leave her?"

Keith, having it directed back at him, tried to explain.

Keith: "I-I didn't. I tried to save her."

Lance: "Exactly. You didn't see Allura trying to break out of that pod to save her. Maybe before you start judging other people, you should take a cold, hard look in the mirror."

Hunk: "Okay, okay! This isn't helping. We can't just sit here and bicker like this."

Zaltron: "I concur with Hunk. At present, we can't deliver either Voltron to Zarkon's hands. We'll have to trust that Jenny, Lapis, and Sandra will be able to pull through long enough for us to retrieve them."

Keith: "And if they don't?"

Zaltron: "They have to."

* * *

At Zarkon's central command, Jenny, now dressed in a similar outfit that Shiro had worn at his time in the prison, was sitting in a corner chucking a balled-up debris at a wall back and forth. On the other side of Jenny's corner, Lapis was leaning on her corner.

Jenny: "So this is what being a prisoner is like. It's kinda boring."

Lapis: "Well, get used to it. Who knows if we'll ever get out?"

Then, Jenny stopped chucking the ball and turned to Lapis in front of her.

Jenny: "Oh, yeah. I didn't ask you before. How did you escape the first time?"

Lapis: "I don't know. But I do know one thing: if it weren't for Shiro, it wouldn't have been possible."

Then, Haggar appeared with two Druids and a Galra that had short violet hair and a beard to boot. What's more, he now has a burn on over his right eye.

Witch Haggar: "Come with me."

* * *

Then, Jenny and Lapis were brought before Zarkon with two Druids, Haggar, Kaecilius, and the bearded Galra beside her as she was cuffed. Then, the Emperor of Dread spoke to her.

Zarkon: "Lapis."

Lapis and Jenny glared back at him.

Lapis: "Zarkon."

Jenny: "So you're the head honcho of the Galra Empire. I gotta say, you're as nasty as I pictured you."

Lapis: "What do you want?"

With that, Zarkon turned to her as he spoke.

Zarkon: "All I want for now... is to talk."

Then, Lapis walked toward Zarkon as she took light steps.

Lapis: "You know, I had the same plan."

Zarkon: "Really? I suppose great minds think alike, but I know for a fact it is an attempt for stalling."

Jenny: "Actually, it wouldn't matter if we did stall. Voltron's still gonna kick your butt all the way to Wozblay."

Zarkon: "No. It will only make me more powerful. Your predecessor, Alfor, knew that as well as I. That's why he led me to believe he destroyed it all those years ago. But now, your new Paladins will come for you. And they will bring Voltron to me, and with it, the key to unimaginable power."

Jenny: "Yeah, what's the deal with that?"

Lapis: "Maybe you're drunk with power, but why do you want the universe to yourself? You were a Paladin of Voltron, weren't you? What happened to that Zarkon?"

Jenny widened her eyes in surprise.

Jenny: "Wait, come again?! Zarkon's an original Paladin?!"

Zarkon widened his eyes from hearing this.

Zarkon: "So... you know of my story?"

Lapis: "Yeah, that's right, I do. And I can't understand why you'd do such a thing. You had a sacred duty and trust to defend the universe. Why would you turn your back on that?"

Kaecilius: "You'll never know. Because that Quintessence your friend possesses far exceeds our own. While we execute you, we mean to extract it from her very body and manufacture it to further Divine Justice. With any luck, we might not need Voltron, after all."

Jenny gasped while Lapis growled before Kaecilius turned to Xarnas and pointed to Lapis and Jenny.

Kaecilius: "Xarnas, take them to Altea and keep her there."

Jenny and Lapis heard this before they grew surprised.

Jenny/Lapis: "Altea?"

Then, they looked out to see Altea linked to the ring, still with white networks around it but the surface of the planet was dark grey. They widened their eyes as they beheld Altea.

Xarnas: "And what about Jennifer?"

Kaecilius: "She'll receive special treatment from our friend, Komar."

Xarnas: "Yes, Commander. Let's move it."

Then, Xarnas took Jenny and Lapis away from Zarkon as he pondered to himself whilst looking towards Altea.

Zarkon: "How did these events get to this point?"

* * *

Back at the Castle, Lance wasn't heaving any luck finding a workaround.

Shiro: "Anything?"

Lance: "There's just no way in. They'll have us tracked from every direction."

Shiro: "There's gotta be something. Keep looking."

Then, Allura looked toward Keith and walked up toward him.

Allura: "Listen, I never wanted to leave Jenny or Sandra, least of all, Lapis. It's just... I have faith that they'll make it. And besides, Lapis told me it was bigger than her. I fought just as hard as you would've to get her to stay."

Keith looked to Allura for a moment before speaking to him.

Keith: "Look. I'm not mad at you. It's just really impossible not to worry over Lapis. I love her too much for that."

Allura: "I know."

Then, Ayame spoke to Keith.

Ayame: "This Lapis. She really sounds like a great friend."

Keith: "Yeah. She is."

Meanwhile, Shiro walked toward Coran and Babak.

Shiro: "Hey. I know you're really worried about them. We all are. I'm sorry I let her slip away."

Babak: "We know it's not your fault."

Coran: "It's just... we thought we lost Altea. We can't lose Jenny, too."

Allura: "We'll find a way to get her back. If there was just a way to get close to Zarkon's ship unseen..."

Then, Coran had an idea pop in his head.

Coran: "Wait a tick. I think I've got a way."

Then, the monitor showed one of the orbiting planets around Zarkon's central command.

* * *

Meanwhile, after the ship landed on Altea, Sandra hid in the vents and made sure that she will be alone when she ambushes whoever captured Lapis.

Lapis: "You'll never get away with this. Voltron will destroy your Empire!"

Xarnas: "Personally, I hope he does."

Hearing this, Lapis blinked her eyes in confusion.

Lapis: "Huh? What are you—"

Just then, Sandra busted the grate open, fell through the vent, and pointed her rifle at Xarnas.

Sandra: "Let her go, now."

Xarnas calmly raised his hands as Lapis ran to her side.

Xarnas: "Stand down. I don't want to fight."

Then, Xarnas clapped his hands as Sandra grinned.

Sandra: "I figured it was you."

Xarnas: "Hmm. I'm impressed. For once, you're thinking a few moves ahead. However, I can't let you take too much credit. The capture of two of your Paladins is not my most clever ruse, but time was of the essence."

In confusion, Sandra lowered her rifle before her glare returned.

Sandra: "What do you want?"

Xarnas: "It appears Zarkon and Kaecilius have decided I am expendable. I was given false information regarding the location of the Dark Crystals, and they attempted to drop the Balmera on me. Luckily, I managed to escape."

Sandra: "And you expect us to believe you why?"

Xarnas: "Believe it or not, it is the absolute truth. Can you imagine the pain of betrayal, Sandra?"

Sandra had been trying to forget about Rax's betrayal and Xarnas had the nerve to bring it up again, infuriating her as she summoned her sword.

Sandra: "Shut up!"

She was about to swing at Xarnas when he countered her sword with his and noticed its features.

Sandra: "What? How did you—?"

Xarnas: "I liked your bayard so much, I made one of my own — with improvements of course."

Then, he shoved her back before speaking.

Xarnas: "I only want to talk."

Sandra: "There's nothing to talk about."

She swung once and missed him before he clashed his bayard with hers.

Xarnas: "Please. If you'd just..."

Then, Sandra thrust him back before mercilessly slamming it down on his sword, until Xarnas had had enough as he dodged the sword.

Xarnas: "Enough!"

Then, he slashed a purple energy blast at Sandra, knocking her back.

Xarnas: "This is pointless."

Then, he walked toward Lapis who grew angry at him as she growled.

Xarnas: "Easy, Lapis."

Then, he got his sword ready and struck the cuffs, breaking them apart. Then, Sandra got up on her feet as Lapis tended to her wrists.

Xarnas: "Please listen to me, Paladin. I need your help."

* * *

At the torture chamber, Jenny shrieked as she was struck by currents of lightning before the Druids ceased, giving her a moment to catch her breath before a voice spoke.

Komar: "That'll be all for now."

Druid 1: "Yes, Komar."

Then, Jenny tried to make out the face that walked into the light as she groaned. From what she could tell, it wasn't a Galra. Could it be an Altean? No. His ears were round, not pointed. That could only tell her so much as the figure walked closer. When Jenny wasn't seeing blurs, she saw a man with his right eye being blank while his raven hair was scattered and parted. The figure known as Komar joked with her.

Komar: "Comfortable?"

Jenny: "Very funny. What do you want?"

Komar: "Don't talk and don't think. Just listen. You've been keeping something that was once lost, Jennifer. Something that doesn't belong to you. Now you have to choose to give it back. What happens to you is of secondary concern. I only care about one thing."

Then, Komar darted toward Lapis as a purple aura grazed over him as he hoarsely shouted his demand.

Komar: "I want the divine power that courses through your veins. The Divine Quintessence."

Jenny widened her eyes in surprise at his knowledge of this.

* * *

At the lab, Xarnas walked with Sandra and Lapis to the lab as he explained.

Xarnas: "I won't spend the rest of my life waiting for Zarkon or Kaecilius to kill me. I must strike first."

Lapis didn't particularly trust him, having been at the receiving end of the prodding stick.

Lapis: "Well, tell you what? How about Voltron will defeat them, and you can watch from a cell in the detainment room? Sound fair?"

Xarnas laughed at this.

Xarnas: "Oh, Lapis, you have many admirable qualities, but ruthlessness is not one of them. You are too good, too pure, too innocent, which will get you or someone you love killed. Without that ruthlessness, you will fail against Zarkon."

Sandra: "Well, You've got plenty of it to boot. Why not do it yourself?"

Xarnas: "I would if I stood a chance. The truth is, I can't undercut Zarkon without you, or your Violet Lion."

Lapis: "And if we help you, then what?"

Xarnas: "Once Zarkon and Kaecilius are defeated, I will disappear. You have my word."

Sandra: "Yeah, exactly what good is your word? Your Empire enslaved countless worlds and hurt too many innocent lives. We will never help you if our lives depended on it."

Xarnas only gave a sigh.

Xarnas: "Hmm. That's a shame. And here I thought you were supposed to be the Defenders of the Universe."

Sandra knew what he meant and grew very angry.

Sandra: "You quiznaking son of a—"

When she was about to strike, Lapis stopped her before speaking to him.

Lapis: "We get the picture now. What's the plan?"

Xarnas: "We infiltrate Komar's base and steal Kaecilius' notes for Quintessence manufacturing, making him worthless to Zarkon, and they will destroy each other."

Lapis: "Wait, they could do that? I thought they were allies."

Xarnas: "Kaecilius doesn't actually work for Zarkon. He's been sent to work with him by a mysterious figure from the quantum abyss."

Sandra: "And who's that?"

Xarnas: "Hmm, Kaecilius would never tell me. Perhaps he thought if I knew, I'd eliminate him and take the opportunity to serve him myself— which, of course, I would."

Lapis replied sarcastically at him.

Lapis: "Boy, do you deserve a Medal of Honor."

Xarnas: "I am simply a soldier serving the most powerful."

Sandra: "Well, even if we agreed, his base will be under tight lock and key."

Xarnas: "Of course."

Sandra: "It'll be honeycombed with his drones."

Xarnas: "Undoubtedly."

Lapis: "So, how do you expect us to get past all of that?"

Xarnas: "With this."

Then, he pointed at a luxite blade that Sandra held before Lapis got her own blade out.

* * *

At the castle, Shiro laid out the plan.

Shiro: "Everyone, eyes front. We've got a plan to get Jenny, Lapis, and Sandra. We're going to jump to the heart of Altea, unseen and undetected."

Then, Coran opened the monitor to reveal the layout of Zarkon's central command.

Coran: "We'll hide the Castle here, inside one of these giant gas planets in Zarkon's command system. The gas is so dense, we'll be hidden."

Shiro: "From there, we'll use the Castle to scan for Jenny, Lapis, and Sandra and rescue them before Zarkon knows what hit him."

* * *

At the torture chamber, Jenny tried to figure him out.

Jenny: "Divine Quintessence? Why? So you can hand it over to Zarkon?"

Komar: "That's not the plan. Zarkon was never truly worthy of it to begin with."

Jenny: "Then why? I don't understand why you'd want it."

Komar: "Of course you don't. The fact is, you're careless. Far too many citizens of the universe are convinced that Alphus has returned from hiding."

Jenny scoffed at him.

Jenny: "So? What if she did?"

Komar: "Ah, but that was the point of that test on Arus. Now you've passed that test, we want it back. So I'll ask you this once. Will you give up the Divine Quintessence on your own free will?"

Jenny: "Why don't you just take it if you want it so bad?"

Komar: "If you truly understood the significance of Quintessence of this variety, you'd know there are rules. The host can only give it up by choice. I'm afraid I'll have to help you make that choice."

Jenny: "With what? Some kind of mind control device?"

Komar: "As... delightful as it sounds, it still won't work. Because, by all technical accounts, it's not really your choice. No. I'm going to put you through something much worse."

Jenny began to tense in fear as Komar's finger gently scraped her face.

Komar: "Snide. If you would be so kind..."

Then, Snide walked into the light with his knuckles cracking.

Snide: "It will be my pleasure."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandra, Lapis, and Xarnas were walking through the halls as they initiated a dialogue.

Sandra: "Okay. So what good would that do?"

Xarnas: "Luxite blades are the only thing that can thin out the Druids for good due to a special magical property in particular. By the time we've concluded our business, your friend will be safe from Komar's hands."

Lapis rolled her eyes at Xarnas.

Lapis: "Business. Right."

Xarnas: "Oh, don't be like that, Lapis! What did I tell you about ruthlessness?"

Lapis: "Uh, you handed Jenny over to Komar in the first place. What'd you expect? You thought we were gonna be friends or something?"

Xarnas: "Jennifer will be fine. You have my word."

Then, they noticed a door on the rocky wall with the Galra symbol on it.

Xarnas: "Take a look in that cavern."

Then, they stepped forth into the cavern and saw a giant creature.

Lapis: "Uh, what are we doing here?"

Xarnas: "In ancient times, Alfor considered the Weblum a most fearful creature. However, there was one beast that when powered up with Quintessence, its powerful blast could neutralize an Ion Cannon."

Then, they heard a roar in the caves as a creature with yellow eyes and long legs walked toward them with Lapis and Sandra beholding the sight.

Xarnas: "Meet our accomplice, Paladins, the Weblum's only predator when bonded with Quintessence... the Xznly Squiwl, otherwise known as 'Cave Stomper.'"

Then, the Cave Stomper roared as Lapis pointed out what she learned about the creature from her time with Alfor.

Lapis: "Are you kidding me?! Do you have any idea how territorial the Cave Stomper is?!"

Then, the Cave Stomper roared as Xarnas turned to them.

Xarnas: "We don't have much time. Get—"

Sandra: "If you think we're gonna help you capture and torture this creature for this vendetta of yours, then you're not thinking at all!"

Xarnas: "You're in no position to bargain."

Then, the Stomper darted at them before they got out of the way and got their bayards ready, with the exception of Xarnas who advised against it.

Xarnas: "Don't aggravate it."

Lapis: "Hard not to when we're the ones aggravated!"

Then the Stomper roared at Lapis as Sandra prepared to shoot, only for Xarnas to stop her.

Xarnas: "Do not fire."

Then, Xarnas got out a pink flower and hovered it over the Cave Stomper's nose as it smelled it and grew acquainted with it.

Xarnas: "That's right. That's right. Alteans used Juniberry flowers to lure Cave Stompers away when they rampage. The beast is drawn to this due to its fragrance."

Then, the Stomper knelt down as Xarnas placed his hand on it.

Xarnas: "That's right. We are not enemies. There is no way I would torture this beast."

That caught Sandra and Lapis by surprise.

Sandra: "Whoa. I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Lapis: "Me neither. And it's my first time meeting you."

Then, Xarnas turned to them.

Xarnas: "You still have those bayards?"

Lapis and Sandra showed them as they smiled.

Lapis: "You know it."

Xarnas: "Good. Get the Paladins' attention."

* * *

At the gas planet, the Paladins and Allura arrived remained hidden as Coran picked up three life signals.

Shiro: "We're here."

Coran: "I'm detecting our Paladins' energy signatures. From this distance, their signals are weak, but they're somewhere on Altea."

Keith: "Gives us a starting point."

Coran: "Once we get closer, we'll be able to narrow down the location where Jenny is being held. But wait."

Coran noticed a signature of Jenny's declining faster with each second.

Coran: "Jenny's signature is getting weaker by the second!"

Ayame: "Then what are we doing just standing here?! We have to go get her!"

Shiro put his hand on his sister's shoulder to calm him down.

Shiro: "Take it easy, Ayame. They may have captured her, but not her spirit. She'll pull through."

Ayame didn't find it the least bit reassuring, but he's never steered her wrong before. Now would be no different. So she nodded in understanding before he spoke on.

Shiro: "Okay, guys. This is it. Voltron is coming in fast and without warning. We'll make our way to Altea and get our friends out of there. Before they know what hit them, we'll be with our friends and be on our way."

Just then, they saw a bright signal coming from Altea.

Allura: "Look!"

Pidge: "What is that?"

Coran: "That looks like a beacon. And it's from an Altean creature."

Shiro: "Maybe it's telling us where to look. Let's go, team!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Snide's shadow was shown pummeling Jenny's with its fists as her moans echoed throughout the room. Then, Komar snapped his fingers to order Snide to stop. When he backed away, Jenny was now shown to have tears streaming down her face as she coughed up a bit, making the pain even worse.

Komar: "You could end all this right away. You don't have to keep taking bullets for your team. Last chance. Will you give up the Divine Quintessence of your own free will?"

Jenny glared at her captor with tears blocking her otherwise clear view.

Jenny: "N-Never."

Komar didn't want to hear this as he growled before slapping her with a backhand, earning her pained yelp.

Komar: "Then not of your own free will! I'm trying to help you, but if you're too stupid to see it, I'll negotiate in a language even you can understand."

Jenny: "Help me? How is this helping me?!"

Then, Komar realized he'd left out details as to why it was necessary before he decided to speak softly.

Komar: "Ah, right. You don't know the whole story. Did you know your grandfather was obsessed with Divine Quintessence? He built his home on sacred ground, filled it with Altean relics. He meddled with things he didn't understand, his pathetic attempt to control what he could not."

Jenny began to speak weakly due to her getting dizzy from being clobbered for who knows how long.

Jenny: "What are you talking about?"

Komar: "He... he never told you, did he?"

Jenny: "He told me stories. Everything he knew, I have on my journal."

Komar spoke to her as he set up his mace and opened it up to reveal that it also acted as a jar.

Komar: "I don't doubt that, but did he ever tell you about Divine Quintessence? No. It drove him insane before you were even old enough to understand. He reached out to us many years ago. He'd heard of the Blue Lion and was desperate to find it in exchange for our special procedure. Your grandfather wanted a cure for his... 'little stardust.'"

Hearing this, Jenny gasped at how much he knew.

Komar: "Isn't that sweet?"

Jenny couldn't believe it. This all had to be lies from his mouth just to get her lifeblood.

Jenny: "LIES! Every word you've said are lies!"

Komar: "He promised us the Divine Quintessence once he gave us the Blue Lion, Jennifer. It took us 10,000 years, but we've found the Divine Quintessence. Now, Kaecilius shall be born anew, and this universe will burn and kneel before its true god!"

Then, Komar activated his mace, causing blue light to leave her and enter the mace before Jenny felt extreme pain as she moaned.

Komar: "Keep clinging to what little Divine Quintessence is left inside you, Jennifer. I dare you. I can sense it leaving you as I speak. Even if you survive this, I'll just have to wait until your batteries run out."

Jenny: "N-No...! It can't... end... this way..."

Komar: "I'm afraid it's not up to you. The siphon will drain the Divine Quintessence from you. And then we'll burn what's left of you alive. Such a shame, really. You were always my best student."

Suddenly, there was an explosion outside that shook the room.

Komar: "What now?"

Then, a soldier ran in.

Galra Soldier: "Commander, a Cave stomper is attacking the base. We have reason to believe it's sent a beacon to Voltron."

Komar: "Voltron? So soon?"

Galra Soldier: "We need to evacuate immediately."

Komar growled as he tensed his fist

Komar: "Great. Just what I need."

Then, he turned to Jenny before he closed the siphon and analyzed it to find that it was three quarters full.

Komar: "Looks like this will have to do. Snide, take care of my little friend here. When she's broken, bring her to me."

Snide: "Vrepit Sa."

As Komar left the building, none of those present noticed that Lapis was in an air vent.

* * *

Outside, Galra drones were lined up by the base and firing at the Cave Stomper with little to no success as it stomped, swiped, and even chewed them up. When the Paladins arrived, they were surprised to see it.

Keith: "What's going on down there?"

Pidge: "It looks like some kind of revolt!"

Then, Lance looked up at the sky and saw a hole in the clouds just below a certain base.

Lance: "No. It's a distraction. I'm going into the base. Think you guys can cover for me?"

Hunk: "We'll try. But I'm really not in the mood to become Altean creature chow."

Lance: "Then stay out of its way."

Keith: "I don't think it'll be that easy."

Lance: "You got a better idea."

Then, Lance received a voice transmission from Sandra.

Sandra: "You guys here yet?"

Lance: "Uh, yeah. Why?"

Sandra: "You have to hurry. Jenny might—"

Lance: "I know. Don't remind me."

Ayame, having heard the transmission as well, spoke up.

Ayame: "I'm going in, too. Jenny helped me find you guys. I owe this to her."

Keith: "How are you even gonna get to the base without a weapon?"

Lance: "I guess I can cover for her."

Ayame: "Then it's settled."

Then, the Red Lion landed while also ejecting Ayame from his mouth, causing her to somersault on the ground before stopping with her feet and fist planted on the ground. Ayame looked to the base and made a dash for it. Along the way, she had to fend off the drones with her powers as she ran while the Blue Lion took care of the ones on her left and right flanks. When she'd reached the end, the path was littered with pieces of countless Galra drones. Then, the Blue Lion landed in front of her.

Lance: "You go ahead. I'll keep an eye on things here."

Ayame: "Got it."

Before she took off, she stopped herself and turned to Lance.

Ayame: "And, Lance... thank you."

Then, she made a break for the base.

* * *

Inside the base, Snide continued his assault on her with punches, each blow more painful than the last. Lapis tried to will herself not to attack immediately as he spoke.

Snide: "Pretty ironic, isn't it? The very last Altean born in the Universe now gets to perish where her race began. How appropriate."

Then, just as he was about to land one more blow, Lapis dropped a small rock through the vent and onto the ground, catching Snide's attention, only for Sandra to point her shotgun at him.

Sandra: "Don't move."

Then, Lapis broke through the vent and cut through the ropes holding her. Then, Lapis took a look at Jenny and grew horrified as she now had the appearance of an elderly woman with blue hair, robbed of her youth. Even worse, she'd literally been beaten to the brink of her life.

Lapis: "No. What did he do to you?"

Jenny: "Lapis... how did you...?"

Lapis: "It's okay, Jenny. I'm here."

Sandra, having noticed her friend's grave condition, angrily pointed her shotgun closer to Snide.

Sandra: "What did you do to her?! If you don't tell me, I'll blast your head off!"

Snide only chuckled at her threat.

Snide: "Even if I told you, you'd do it anyway. If you're hoping for a solution, you're wasting your time."

Sandra snarled before she began charging her shotgun.

Sandra: "You asked for this."

However, before she could pull the trigger, a dark purple orb hit Snide in the back and electrocuted him before he passed out and fell to the floor.

Ayame: "That was for hurting my friend."

Then, Ayame saw Jenny's condition as Lapis held her. Immediately, she ran over to her and hugged her before emitting sobs of sadness.

Ayame: "No... no, Jenny. You can't do this to me! You don't get to die on me! It's not fair!"

Then, Jenny spoke softly to her.

Jenny: "Ayame..."

Ayame stopped her sobs for a moment before she spoke softly to him.

Jenny: "I ain't dead yet."

Ayame moved her face away before she smiled at him, letting her know she's alright and permitting her to hug her again.

Ayame: "Oh, thank goodness. I thought you died."

Jenny: "You worry too much, you know that?"

Then, he got back to the matter at hand.

Ayame: "Who did this to you?"

Jenny: "I-It was Komar. He was harvesting my Divine Quintessence."

Ayame, having heard this, tensed her fist and began walking out of the base.

Lapis: "What are you doing?"

Ayame: "I'm going after Komar, and then I'm going to make him pay."

Sandra: "Didn't you hear a word she said? Revenge won't help anybody."

Ayame: "You're wrong. It's what's best for everyone."

Lapis: "Best for everyone, or best for you?"

Ayame: "You don't know what I'm talking about."

Then, Xarnas spoke to her, catching Ayame's attention before she growled at him.

Xarnas: "I do. She said she'd make him pay. Surely, she never said anything about killing him."

Ayame: "Get out of my way."

Then, Sandra explained to Lance his purpose.

Sandra: "Easy. He's with us. For now."

Ayame: "And you believe that?"

Xarnas: "Perhaps my actions speak louder than words."

Then, Xarnas got out an injector with Altean Quintessence, earning Ayame's suspicions.

Ayame: "I knew it. You let this happen to her."

Xarnas: "No. But I can undo what Komar had done to her."

With that, Xarnas stepped toward Lapis, held Jenny's arm, and injected the Quintessence into her as she moaned for a moment before her youth returned. Then, Jenny drew a peaceful breath of relief as the injection was complete.

Xarnas: "That's right. Rest easy."

Then, Jenny nestled in Lapis' arms before turning to Sandra.

Xarnas: "I want to thank you for getting me this far."

Sandra: "What are you talking about?"

Then, Lance walked in to see Xarnas, Lapis, Sandra, Ayame, and Jenny.

Shiro: "The others went back to the Castle. We have to—"

Then, Xarnas immediately darted to Shiro, got out his Luxite blade before holding it at his neck, catching the others by surprise, just as Snide stirred awake and woke up to see Xarnas holding Shiro as hostage.

Xarnas: "One move, and your master dies."

Lapis: "How could you do this?"

Then, Xarnas answered her in a sort of whisper.

Xarnas: "I told you. You're too pure, Lapis. Too innocent. One day, it'll get you killed."

She grew angry at this before realizing what was going on. He may have helped them out, but Snide didn't know that. So, she merely used her anger to play along.

Lapis: "I knew you'd betray us, Xarnas. You didn't change. After all that flowery talk, you're nothing more than a murderer, just like Zarkon!"

Then, the Galra Soldier and Komar walked in to see Xarnas holding Shiro hostage.

Komar: "Xarnas?"

Then, he cleared his throat before speaking to him.

Komar: "It seems I owe you an apology. My soldiers back on the Balmera grew a bit overzealous."

Xarnas: "Were our roles reversed, I would've done the same. To prove there are no hard feelings, I brought you a gift."

Then, she shoved Shiro to Komar, much to his surprise.

Komar: "I don't believe it. You've actually captured the Black Paladin? This is too good to be—"

Then, it hit him. There must be some ulterior motive.

Komar: "Tell me. How did you manage to capture Project Kuron when so many others, including myself, have failed?"

Xarnas: "It was my greatest gambit. Simple, but effective. I convinced them that I wanted to betray you and I needed their help."

Komar: "Impressive. And how does that entail the Cave Stomper?"

Xarnas: "A necessary evil to get them to trust me."

Snide: "Let's just get this over with and kill the girl."

Snide stepped toward Jenny and Lapis before Xarnas stopped him.

Xarnas: "Need I remind you that Divine Quintessence is our number-one priority. We can't very well get any more if she's dead."

At this, Komar grew suspicious.

Komar: "I think this conversation would be better served privately."

Then, he, Snide, and Xarnas walked out before Komar spoke to the drone.

Komar: "Meanwhile, you will send them to Zarkon's Central Command, where they'll await his judgment."

Then, he walked out of the door as the drone pointed his weapon at them before switching its red mechanism to yellow and spoke in Pidge's voice.

Pidge: "Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3. Okay. It works."

The group drew a relieved breath before Lapis spoke.

Lapis: "Okay. Xarnas bought us as much time as he could. We better get a move on. Do you know the way out?"

Pidge: "Don't worry. Just leave that to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Snide was angry with Xarnas over slight misconduct.

Snide: "Now, the Paladins know what Jennifer is capable of. Your loose lips could bring us all down."

Xarnas: "As usual, Snide, you're missing the bigger picture. We've won. With Jennifer and Kuron captured, we can get anything we want out of the weak-willed denizens of the Universe."

Snide: "Have you forgotten about the Divine Quintessence, and our contact? This will only slow us down."

Xarnas: "I'm sorry. Who is the one who actually captured Jennifer Shaybon? Perhaps your employer would like to know about his star pupil's consistent failure."

Snide: "How dare you?"

Komar: "This bickering is pointless. Get rid of them both."

Then, Snide began walking out when Xarnas stopped him.

Xarnas: "Wait."

Snide: "Why do you want them alive? They scarred your face, stopped your mining, and decimated your squad."

Komar: "And in spite of that, you've sided with the Paladins of Voltron, a transgression punishable by DEATH!"

Then, Komar shoved Xarnas to the wall with his siphon.

Komar: "You think I wouldn't figure you out? I practically saw it coming a mile away. I didn't spend years on that wretched Earth to be destroyed by a common foot soldier!"

Then, Xarnas got out his sword and shoved Komar away before he slashed at a pipe, providing the smokescreen he needed to escape before Snide got out his weapon and fired at him, only managing to hit him in the back before he'd escaped. However, Komar was clearly angry with him to let him live.

Komar: "Hunt him down and bring him to me, now!"

* * *

Outside the base, Shiro, Ayame, Sandra, Lapis, and Jenny were headed to the Blue Lion, which opened up.

Lance: "That's everyone, right?"

Shiro: "Yeah, it is."

Then, Ayame stopped in her tracks before they saw Xarnas panting. Lance thought he was one of them and shouted.

Lance: "Guys, behind you!"

Ayame: "It's alright, Lance. He bought us enough time to escape."

Xarnas: "Actually, There's barely any time left. It seems Komar wasn't as easy to fool as I thought."

Lapis and Ayame walked up to Xarnas and tried to find out what he's doing this for.

Lapis: "You helped us get Jenny back, but why? What game are you playing?"

Xarnas only chuckled at her question.

Xarnas: "Oh, there isn't one."

Ayame/Lapis: "Huh?"

Xarnas: "You don't believe that some Galra could do good things simply because they're right? After I was trapped in the Balmera, I was rescued by its people. I spent most of my life looking down on our subjects, enslaving them. But after these events, I've done to respect them as equals. You and your fellow Paladins taught me that, Lapis. That's the final irony, I suppose."

Then, he groaned before collapsing and ended up being held by Ayame and Lapis, noticing the wound on his back.

Ayame: "You're hurt."

Xarnas: "Oh, this is it for me. The end of the game."

Lapis: "Xarnas."

Xarnas coughed a bit before Komar shouted.

Komar: "Find him and tear those Paladins apart!"

Xarnas: "Go. I'll hold them off while you're out."

Lapis: "No. I won't leave without you."

Xarnas: "Lapis, you're more ruthless than you realize. I know you will defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius."

Then, he turned to Ayame and spoke to her.

Xarnas: "And Ayame... Ulaz wanted me to give this to you."

Then, Xarnas handed his Luxite blade to Ayame, who stared at it in confusion.

Ayame: "But why?"

Xarnas: "There's a Blade named Ulaz. When you find him, tell him I've paid for my mistakes."

Ayame gasped at the name of Ulaz and nodded to him before she and Lapis took off into the Blue Lion. Then, Xarnas noticed the Cave Stomper and spoke to it.

Xarnas: "You too, Stomper. Get out of here."

The Cave Stomper roared in defiance before he reluctantly agreed.

Xarnas: "Suit yourself."

Then, Komar and Snide found the Cave Stomper with Xarnas in surprise before he charged at them as he grunted and the Cave Stomper roared before darting into the base and tearing it apart, much to Komar's horror as it went after the Divine Quintessence drained from Jenny.

Komar: "No!"

Then, he clutched onto Snide and vanished before the Cave Stomper could crush them.

Far away, the Cave Stomper could be seen practically dancing in and on the base as Sandra smiled.

Sandra: "Well, at least this guy's got something to do."

Lance: "Now, we head back."

With that, the Blue Lion went back in the Castle before it wormholed away from Zarkon's red planet.

* * *

At the Castle, Ayame was watching over Jenny before taking out a picture of herself, Jenny, and a girl with brown hair that had blonde at the end with glasses over her blue eyes as the three of them smiled in the photo. Ayame teared up over what had happened since that photo.

Ayame: "Jenny. Don't you die on me like Kumiko. I've lost her. Don't make me lose you, too."

Not long after, Lance stepped in, catching Ayame's notice as she put her sobs on hold.

Lance: "Hey."

Ayame could only wipe her tears away before talking to Lance.

Ayame: "Hello."

Lance: "How's Jenny?"

Ayame: "Babak said she should be fine due to whatever Xarnas injected her with. All we can do is wait. But... I don't want to."

Lance: "Yeah. Me neither."

Ayame: "I lost a friend once. Her name was Kumiko. She and I grew up together in Japan. When we got to be of age, we decided to go to the Garrison. When she was being picked on, Jenny was there for her. After that, we were inseparable. Or so we thought. No matter what Jenny and I did for her, she felt more and more worthless because of how everyone treated her in the Garrison. One day, she just decided to..."

Ayame could barely contain the hurt in her voice any less than she could her sobs.

Ayame: "She just... removed herself from our world... forever."

Then, Lance recalled that incident at the Garrison a long time ago.

Lance: "I remember hearing about that. That was your friend?"

Ayame nodded as she sobbed lightly on her hands. Lance felt bad about what had happened to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Lance: "I'm really sorry that this happened to you. And, by the way, I also remember you yelling at me for taking her... passing so lightly. You don't think I'm upset about that? Jenny lost a good friend, too. I was just trying to be so upbeat and positive for her, like she usually is. I didn't realize I was being a pain in your neck. I'm sorry for making you feel that way."

Then, Ayame hugged Lance much to his surprise.

Ayame: "No, Lance. I'm sorry. While I was grieving, I blamed people like you for what happened to her. That's all I've ever done. I even pushed my brother away. You were the only one who was willing to help her. And I pushed you away from her. I'm the one who should be on the bed, not her."

Then, Ayame let out her sobs onto Lance's shoulder as he patted her back. Then, Shiro walked in before Lance and Ayame noticed his shadow.

Lance/Ayame: "Shiro?"

Shiro: "I don't mean to put this on you, but you're needed at the main hangar."

Lance: "Actually, you guys can go ahead without me. I just need to be sure that Jenny's okay."

Ayame: "Me, too."

Shiro understood their standing as he sighed.

Shiro: "I understand."

Then, he walked out as Lance and Ayame placed their hands on Jenny's hand.

Lance: "You can make it, Jenny. You've got to."

* * *

At Kaecilius' Lab, Komar and Snide arrived before the former shoved the latter to the floor.

Komar: "This is all your fault!"

Kaecilius: "What happened?"

Komar: "Snide was too careless to pay attention to where that traitor went. If he'd gotten rid of him, we could've had more Divine Quintessence than we've managed to obtain this far."

Kaecilius analyzed the jar held by Komar before he spoke.

Kaecilius: "This is more than enough."

Komar/Snide: "What?"

Kaecilius: "You fools never understood its power to begin with. Thanks to your efforts, minuscule as they were, we shall now have an audience with the magistrate of Eternal Justice."

Then, Kaecilius fired his purple lightning at the Divine Quintessence, turning it into dark red Quintessence and spoke in a certain tongue.

Kaecilius: "Emoc Hitirof, Enivid Reaylis, Dina Etimis Ehit Dekiciw!"

That, in turn, caused a dark red and light violet veil to open and reveal two red eyes and a cold voice.

Unknown: "I awaken..."

 **A/N: Quite unexpected, isn't it? Well, there's more surprises where those came from. And before the attack on Zarkon, the team will get to know Ayame and her origins, but share her secrets with only a select few. Those who haven't been to deviantart, you'll just have to wait and see. Savor it. :)**


	13. Prelude to Annihilation

**Chapter 13:** Across the Universe

 _Outside, Jenny went inside the Blue Lion as she flew and exhaled once she was inside._

 _Pidge: "Okay, what just happened?"_

 _Hunk: "Who cares? Wormhole!"_

 _Then, the wormhole appeared in front of the Castle before Kaecilius snarled._

 _Kaecilius: "You won't get away!"_

 _With that, Kaecilius fired a red and light violet blast at the wormhole, changing its color to red and violet before it closed, much to Varek's disappointment._

 _Varek: "No. Looks like we won't find them again. Those rotten Alteans."_

 _Kaecilius: "Oh, well, no matter. Zarkon can easily track them through the Black Lion, though they won't suspect it. And when we find them, we will deal with them and complete our utopia."_

 _Varek: "And what of our other problem?"_

 _Kaecilius: "That... will require some patient thought. There's no sense in rushing when dealing with the light giver."_

 _Varek: "Hmph. I suppose you're right."_

 _Kaecilius: "I promise, they will fall by the might of Omegus."_

 _Inside the wormhole, the group was getting stuck in a desperate situation._

 _Shiro: "Coran, what's happening?"_

 _Coran: "The integrity of the wormhole is compromised. It's breaking down!"_

 _Lance: "What does that mean?"_

 _Coran: "It means we have no control over where we're headed!"_

 _Ayame: "Then who does?!"_

 _Before they could answer, the tremors in the Castle shook the Black, Red, and Violet Lions out of the Castle._

 _Lance: "Keith! Shiro! Lapis!"_

 _Hunk: "What just happened?"_

 _Sandra: "It's chaos in there!"_

 _Lance: "I don't know, but we've got to stay together."_

 _Suddenly, Jenny couldn't hold on and ended up thrusted out of the Blue Lion's mouth and flew away out of the wormhole as Lance and Hunk took their dive next as Pidge swirled out of the wormhole last, leaving Allura, Babak, Coran, and Zaltron within the wormhole._

 _Allura: "They've vanished through the temporal rift! The lions are gone!"_

 _Suddenly, two red eyes flared within it and spoke._

 _Omegus: "Thus begins a new age. The Age... of Chaos."_

* * *

At a distant planet, a portal opened up before the Red, Black, and Violet Lions went through it. As the Black Lion fell on one side, the Red and Violet Lions fell onto another. While it occurred, Keith and Lapis tried to maintain control.

Keith: "Come on, come on, come on!"

Lapis: "Come on, Violet! Hang on!"

However, they were both unsuccessful as they had crashed into the planet. Not long after, Keith woke up from the crash, as did Ayame, Lapis, Azix, Zaltron, and Belle. Keith tried to pull the levers, but found they had no effect.

Keith: "You okay, Red?"

Keith tried again, but failed to stir the Red Lion.

Keith: "Okay. We'll fix you up. We had a tough battle."

Then, Keith heard Ayame in his helmet.

Ayame: "Keith. Takeshi. Can anyone read me?"

Keith: "Yeah, Ayame. I hear you."

Ayame: "Thank goodness."

Keith: "Where are you?"

Ayame: "Try looking in front of you."

Then, Keith looked through the eyes of his lion to see the Violet Lion as well as Ayame waving to him through its eyes. Then, the both of them climbed out of their lions to see a desolate world before Lapis and the others climbed up.

Ayame: "This looks so strange."

Keith: "Where are we? Where have we landed?"

Then, Keith realized who else was missing.

Keith: "Shiro."

Ayame thought of him, too, and gasped at how hurt he must've been.

Ayame: "Takeshi! We have to find him!"

Lapis: "Well, we can't go with this time. If all of us leave, how would we find the way back to our lions?"

Azix: "The best discourse would be to remain here in case help arrives."

Belle: "Just make sure Shiro's okay."

Ayame nodded to her before responding.

Ayame: "Don't worry. I will."

* * *

Far away in outer space, a portal opened up, spewing the Green Lion out of it and towards rings of broken space junk.

Pidge: "Whoa!"

She tried to keep her Lion in control before she crash landed onto the ring. She tried to get it working, but couldn't.

Pidge: "Huh? What's the matter, girl?"

She didn't get a response from the Green Lion before she spoke to it again.

Pidge: "Okay, rest a bit. I'll see what I can do."

Pidge analyzed the area around her before she made a hypothesis.

Pidge: "Looks like there's no gravity here. It's like some trash nebula of some kind. Okay, Pidge, stay calm. You know what they say. 'When you get lost in space, the best thing to do is stay put and wait for people to find you.' This'll be nice. I'll have some 'me' time... No one to annoy me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk, Sandra, and Lance were ejected to a frozen ocean and crashed into it before Lance spoke to him.

Lance: "Hunk, Sandra, you okay? Guys?"

As an answer, Hunk retched in his Yellow Lion before responding.

Hunk: "I'm fine."

Lance: "You just threw up, didn't you?"

Sandra: "Yeah. He did."

Hunk: "You would too if you got sucked out of a wormhole at light speed, then crash-landed on an ice planet and ended up underwater."

Lance: "That is what happened to me!"

Hunk: "Oh, right."

Lance checked on the Lion's systems and noticed they weren't in great condition.

Lance: "My main system is down. The crash must have screwed it up. Does yours work?"

Hunk: "I'm on reserve power. My Lion's pretty much _dead in the water_."

Lance and Sandra frowned at Hunk's joke.

Sandra: "Boo."

Lance: "This situation's bad enough, Hunk. Don't make it worse with puns."

Hunk: "I'm just shocked we hit a planet. I thought Pidge said space was 90% empty."

Lance: "Well, apparently, Pidge's science is wrong."

Sandra: "Or this could be the 10% that isn't empty."

Hunk: "We need to contact the others and get back to group immediately. Hello, anyone? This is Hunk and Lance of the Yellow and Blue Lions."

Lance: "They know the color of our lions!"

Hunk: "Okay, yeah. I always forget that. My bad."

Then, both lions landed underwater on the ground.

Lance: "I've gotta check for damage and get these lions running."

Hunk: "Copy that."

Then, to his surprise, it came back on.

Lance: "Oh, good. The Blue Lion's coming back online now. Welcome back, beautiful."

Then, as it looked around, it saw a flash of a mermaid before it scurried away behind a rock, surprising Lance.

Lance: "Uh... guys, did... did you just see something swim by?"

Hunk: "What? No."

Sandra: "Why do you ask?"

Then, he looked around before seeing her again.

Lance: "No way! This is going to sound crazy, but I think I just saw a mermaid."

Hunk: "Oh, boy. Okay, how hard did you bang your head when we hit the planet?"

Sandra: "More importantly, how many times?"

Lance: "Guys, I'm serious!"

Then, he saw the mermaid going around him, causing Lance to keep the Blue Lion's eyes fixated on her.

Lance: "Look! There it is again! Hey, come here! Where you going? Hey, slow down!"

Hunk grew annoyed with Lance's antics.

Hunk: "Lance, knock it off. We have to stay focused and get to the others, and..."

Then, he saw Lance leaving his Lion.

Lance: "You're outside of your lion. Great."

Hunk: "I know we have to find the others. I'm just saying maybe this thing can help. Also, it's a mermaid. A mermaid! Come on, let's find it."

Sandra: "You know, if Jenny was here, she'd tear your heart out and rip it apart."

Hunk: "No. No way. Nope. Not going out there."

Lance: "Okay, you stay here, by yourself, in the dark, all alone in a Lion that's out of commission."

In no time at all, Hunk swam over to Lance in a flash.

Hunk: "Don't leave me!"

Sandra groaned as she got out, too.

* * *

On a faraway planet, Jenny was hurtled out of the portal and onto a planet with lush grass as she yelled until she'd crashed. After that, Jenny looked up with grass bud in her mouth and spat it out before noticing a rainforest in a plain white sky.

Jenny: "Huh? Where the heck am I?"

She began walking towards it as her curiosity grew boundlessly. Once she walked in the rainforest, she took a look at all the exotic plants and noticed them changing color rapidly like chameleons and looked ahead of her to see them doing waves that change to various colors of a rainbow pointing to a cave.

Jenny: "Huh. That's weird."

Then, she stepped forward into the cave and found a torch. There wasn't oil to work with, so she used her hand to produce an orb and light the torch before she stepped into it. Then, as Jenny walked in the cave, she'd noticed an inscription on it and read it aloud.

Jenny: "'Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner, I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead to share with the worms that gather in the darkness and surround the world with the power of their lives while from the dim-lit halls of other places, forms that never could be writhe for the impatience of the few who have never seen or been seen.' Strangling fruit? Seds of the dead? What's that supposed to—?"

Then, Jenny heard voices in another area of the cave before she looked toward it and found countless bright and round orbs that were planted in the ground. For one example, she looked at one that showed Keith at a young age standing in front of his father's tomb.

Jenny: "Oh. Poor Keith."

Then, an idea came to her about a friend that they've lost in the Garrison.

Jenny: "Hold on. Does that mean...?"

Then, she found another orb and saw what she hoped she'd never see: a still corpse of Kumiko after overdose. She fought the urge to cry, but was barely successful before she wiped her tears away.

Jenny: "I wish you could be with us, Kumiko. Then you'd know about everything we've been through since you've been gone. But... I can't take you away from where you are, no matter how much I want to. Not this time. It'd be so unfair to you. I'm not that kind of person."

Then, Jenny began to let her tears out as she smiled.

Jenny: "I hope that your pain is gone, Kumiko. To know you're alright... that's enough for me."

From there, she found an arrow pointing to the next location. Before she left, she turned to the seed showing Kumiko.

Jenny: "We do miss you, Kumiko. All of us do."

Then, Jenny walked forward to the arrow as she sported a look of determination.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the wormhole, Allura, Babak, Zaltron, and Coran were having difficulty bracing the turbulence.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

Babak: "Right."

Then, as Zaltron and Allura looked at it, they noticed that something was at the end.

Allura: "Coran, look! There appears to be something on the other end. We're heading right toward it!"

Babak: "Scanners show that there's no exit. It's just nothingness. Find an exit before we run straight into the void!"

Allura: "I can't. I've lost control of the Castle."

Then, Omegus' booming voice spoke to them.

Omegus: "Control? It has no place in my realm. Only Chaos!"

Coran: "Brace yourself! We're about to hit it!"

Then, the Castle ran into the void before Coran spoke.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

Babak: "Right."

Allura and Zaltron looked around the castle and saw Coran with his hair in front of his left eye while Babak has no mustache.

Allura: "Coran, we're okay."

Babak: "How can you say that, Princess?! We've lost all the lions!"

Allura: "We've just smashed into a black void. Don't you remember?"

Zaltron: "I do. Unfortunately, they don't."

Allura looked toward Zaltron and the mice, which had now become squirrels before she grew surprised.

Allura: "What happened to the mice? They've transformed."

Zaltron: "As did Babak and Coran, from the appearance of this situation."

Coran: "Why are you looking at us like that? Do I have a boogie stick in my mustache again?"

Allura: "No. You look younger."

Then, the Castle shook as Omegus spoke.

Omegus: "Your time will soon end, Alteans."

Babak: "Scanners show that there's no exit. It's just nothingness!"

Allura: "You said that already!"

Babak: "Find an exit before we run straight into the void!"

Allura: "I'm entering the coordinates to get us out of here."

Then, Allura hit another road block in doing so as it was unable to do the job.

Allura: "The Castle won't accept an end point."

Babak: "Just enter any coordinates!"

Allura: "I tried, but the system is locked. I can't get a signal out or receive any signal in."

Coran: "Allura!"

Then, the castle crashed into the void again before he now took on a younger appearance.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

Then, Babak spoke next as he now bore a captain's uniform with a badge and a hat.

Babak: "Good thinking, Soldier."

Then, Coran danced around the befuddled Allura and Zaltron.

Allura: "What's the matter? You look confused. Don't worry, Princess. I'll get us out of here."

As Coran flashed his eyes at her, Zaltron had a theory.

Zaltron: "It appears we're stuck in a sort of time loop that affects everyone but us."

Then, Allura tripped behind the mice now turned hippos.

Allura: "I was going to say that."

Babak: "Unfortunately, the scanners show no exit. It's just—"

Allura: "Nothingness. I know. And we can't find another exit point."

Babak: "Did I say you could talk back to your captain?!"

Coran: "Don't just stand there. We've got to find a way. I'll never give into nothingness!"

Omegus: "That isn't for you to decide, mortal."

Then, the castle ran into the void again.

* * *

Meanwhile on the desolate world, Keith and Ayame were looking for Shiro while Lapis and the others remained in the Violet Lion. As they did so, Shiro tried reaching them.

Shiro: "Keith. Ayame, are you there? Guys?"

Shiro didn't have any luck getting their attention.

Shiro: "I've got to get to higher ground."

As he proceeded to do so, Keith and Ayame were jumping on the surface.

Keith: "Shiro, can you hear me? Shiro?"

Ayame: "Takeshi, are you there? Answer me!"

Fortunately, Shiro finally found an area where he could hear them.

Shiro: "Guys. I'm here, guys. I'm okay."

Ayame: "Thank goodness."

Keith: "Shiro, you made it."

Shiro: "It takes more than a glowing alien wound, a fall from the upper atmosphere, and crashing into a hard pan surface, at what I'm guessing is about 25 meters per second squared to get rid of me. How are you?"

Keith: "Not good. Our Lion's busted."

Ayame caught onto every word Shiro said and grew worried.

Ayame: "Wait, what wound?"

Shiro: "It's nothing."

However, Shiro had a flashback of when he'd received that wound from Haggar before he began tending in pain.

Keith: "Hang on, I'm coming."

Then, Shiro looked behind him to see a few creatures on the Black Lion and looking up at him. Then, a figure wrapped in a dark purple cloak stepped on the lion as the creatures huddled to him and bowed before he looked up to Shiro and flared his purple eyes at him.

Shiro: "On second thought, you better hurry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge looked around in the trash nebula and saw two blue lights within a cave.

Pidge: "Who's there?"

Then, countless blue lights turned on in sets followed by two yellow eyes, causing Pidge to panic and hold her bayard toward the lights before the blue and yellow lights stepped forth from the darkness and revealed themselves to be an alien with yellow skin and red hair, as well as a puffy pink alien clue with a blue symbol below its eyes.

Unknown: "So you're the Green Paladin."

Pidge heard her voice and grew worried.

Pidge: "H-How would you know that?"

Then, the unknown alien lowered her bayard smoothly.

Unknown: "Because I was the Green Paladin once."

Pidge looked up to her in surprise.

Pidge: "What? Who are you?"

Unknown: "I am Lady Trigel of the Dalterion Belt."

When Pidge looked at her, she felt amazed at her.

Pidge: "Whoa. And who are these little guys?"

The alien clouds then emerged one by one as Trigel introduced them.

Trigel: "These are Junk Dusters. They usually inhabit trash nebulae like this to seek shelter."

Pidge: "Are you guys the only ones living here?"

Trigel: "So far, yes. I had four more friends by my side originally. But that was in the past."

Pidge: "Oh. Speaking of, I'm waiting for my own friends to find me. We were separated during a wormhole jump."

Then, the Junk Disters squished themselves together as Trigel pondered to her.

Trigel: "Were they Paladins as well?"

Pidge: "Yeah! I sure hope they find me soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Sandra, & Hunk turned on their lights and found the mermaid Lance saw. When she took off, Lance wanted to follow her.

Lance: "Come on!"

Then, the three Paladins took off for her, getting closer to her location.

Sandra: "Wow, Lance. I've seen a lot of things out in space. But not once did I think I'd see a mermaid."

Hunk: "I can't believe this! We're really chasing a mermaid."

Then, the mermaid began to go faster.

Lance: "Hey, wait, wait, wait! We're friendly!"

Then, when she swam out of view, she revealed an underwater city with a garden in front of it.

Lance/Sandra/Hunk: "Whoa!"

Then, the mermaid spoke behind them.

Unknown: "Hello."

They got surprised a moment before she spoke further.

Unknown: "Welcome to my village. Here, all are safe and warm."

Then, they noticed walrus creatures behind them as the boys panicked while Sandra got ready to defend herself.

Unknown: "Please, do not startle our guests. I am Florona. The almighty Queen Luxia, keeper of our land, would like to meet with you."

Then, they followed the walrus creatures to the city, unaware that a blue creature with swords on his back was keeping an eye on them and noticing the newcomers' outfits.

Unknown: "They can't be..."

Lance: "How did your queen know we were here?"

Florona: "Queen Luxia knows all."

Then, Sandra drew a suspicious look as they rise on the sea lions to the palace.

Sandra: "Lance, I know this mermaid thing is your dream and all, but something about this place just doesn't sit well with me. Besides, we should go find our friends."

Lance: "We will, Sandy, we will, but let's meet this queen first. Maybe she can help us."

Sandra: "For everyone's sake, I hope you're right."

Then, they've finally reached the palace where Queen Luxia was waiting.

Queen Luxia: "Space travelers. I am Queen Luxia. I welcome you to our village as welcomed guests."

Sandra bowed in respect before she spoke.

Sandra: "My name's Sandra. I'm a Voltron Paladin."

Luxia's eyes widened at this.

Queen Luxia: "A Voltron Paladin?"

Sandra: "Yeah. We were just in the midst of fighting Zarkon."

Lance tried to introduce himself next, but ended up going upside down and caught by Hunk.

Lance: "I'm La-a-a-ance."

Hunk: "Uh, Mrs. Queen, your honor, your excellence. I'm Hunk, and me and my buddies here , we crash-landed on your lovely planet, but we really need to get back in touch with our friends who are in space. Would you possibly have any way of doing that?"

Queen Luxia: "Hunk, Lance, Sandra, I can solve all of your problems. Here, we are all safe and warm."

Sandra: "Hmm. Florona said the same thing."

Hunk: "You use magic, don't you? I bet this castle's a ship. This castle is a ship, right? Just do t say anything if I'm right."

Sandra: "They're not Alteans, Hunk."

Queen Luxia: "Here, I've brought you these. The bubble coral will provide you with the air you need."

Sandra took a look at her oxygen reserves and found them low before she agreed.

Sandra: "Alright, then."

Then, she, Lance, and Hunk used it to make bubbles around their heads before they thanked her.

Hunk: "Thank you, Fish Queen."

Sandra: "It's Queen Luxia, Hunk. She has a name."

Queen Luxia: "And rest assured, your space vessels will be well protected."

Then, they noticed the Blue and Yellow Lions being carried away above the castle.

Queen Luxia: "Now, please, follow me."

Then, they took a look at the garden beneath the lions.

Lance: "Wha is that?"

Queen Luxia: "That is the giver of life to our people, the Baku Garden. When the waters froze over, we were forced to live down here. The garden provides us the warmth and food we need to survive. Because of it, we all are taken care of."

Sandra: "Now I get what you're saying. It's to protect you against this harsh climate on the surface, right?"

Queen Luxia: "Like I said, here, all are safe and warm."

Then, they entered the palace with Sandra maintaining suspicion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny walked deeper into the cave where the arrow pointed until she stumbled upon the cave area where the water was black and where there was a crack up on the ceiling before she found another inscription and read it aloud.

Jenny: "In the black water with the sun shining at midnight, those fruit shall come ripe, and in the darkness, that which is golden shall split open to reveal the revelation of the fatal softness in the earth."

Then, as if on cue, the bright light shine on the black water, causing it to split apart and create a pathway for Jenny to walk across, where at the very end was an orb-shaped hole. Then, Jenny looked to see the orb suddenly rewinding to before Kumiko's passing just when she prepared to take her pills. Jenny then looked to the hole and ran to toward it before gently placing it into the hole and speaking softly through it.

Jenny: "Please, Kumiko. Don't let everyone else suffer your pain. Only you can bear it, and you alone."

Then, as if she heard her voice, Kumiko spoke up.

Kumiko: "What? Jenny? You can hear me?"

Jenny: "Yeah. I can hear you. And I can see you, too."

Kumiko: "Then, why can't I see you?"

Jenny: "It's, uh, complicated. But, listen, this is the voice of the Jenny from the future."

Kumiko: "The future?"

Jenny: "I know it sounds far-fetched, but trust me when I say you shouldn't do this to yourself. By doing this, you'd only end up making us miserable. Without you, our lives would be nothing. No matter what you think about yourself, don't just throw your life away. Please..."

Kumiko placed her hand on her chin, reconsidering her decision before thinking about the impact it could have and made a decision.

Kumiko: "Okay. I get it. You don't want me to go away. You want me to stay. But even if I wanted to stay, how am I supposed to put up with this?"

Jenny: "You can ask for our help. You've kinda been putting it off for too long. Oh, and one more thing. Just be yourself. If they got a problem with that, who cares? They don't know you like we do."

Kumiko then began to lightly sob as her tears dropped onto her bed.

Kumiko: "I get it, now. Thank you, Jenny. So much."

Jenny began to sob as well before wiping her tears away and speaking in an attempt to hold back her sobs.

Jenny: "No, Kumi. Thank you."

Then, the orb's glow faded and turned into a passion fruit before the blue light began glowing underneath it and spread across the black water, immediately disabling it and turning the black water into land as it began to crack and crumble to dust. In the process, Jenny fell down the dark hole until she landed on her rump.

Jenny: "Ow!"

Having survived the fall, Jenny picked up the torch and found another arrow pointing the way, growing more confused.

* * *

At the Castle, Coran had now turned into a teenager with his hair mostly shaved and Babak now in his thirties.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us. Ahh, this is so boring."

Babak: "I don't need this kind of attitude from you, son! Especially not now!"

Coran: "You don't understand me at all! You don't know what I'm going through! I'll be in my control area! Hmmph!"

As Coran stormed off, Zaltron turned to Allura.

Zaltron: "If we don't figure a way out of this conundrum soon, Babak and Coran would disappear instantaneously."

Allura: "Don't you think I know that?"

Then, Allura took a deep breath before she spoke again.

Allura: "Look, I can't manually enter the coordinates. But the Castle will automatically lock on to the lions' whereabouts if we can locate them."

Then, she pulled the monitors back and expanded the universal map, only to find no luck there either.

Allura: "It's not working! I'm unable to hone in on their location."

Then, Coran danced around, listening to loud opera, much to Babak's anger.

Babak: "Coran, turn that racket back down! Our lives are at stake!"

Coran: "I can only express myself through music!"

Babak: "Coran, if you don't turn down that music, I swear I'll have Allura turn this castle around and—"

Coran: "And what? We're just gonna fun into the void that's coming up here. I hate everybody!"

Then, the Castle ran into the void again before it repeated with Coran now the age of a young man and Babak the age of a teenager.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us, whatever that means."

Babak: "Did you come up with anything Allura?"

Allura: "We've tried everything and nothing's worked. A few more trips down this wormhole and you'll both disappear. We must find a way out."

Babak: "And how are we supposed to do that, huh?"

Coran offered a suggestion as he ride in the newly transformed and fused mice.

Coran: "Just blast your way out! Duh!"

Allura: "I suppose it's worth a try. The Castle defenses might have enough firepower to destroy the tunnel."

Coran: "Yeah! And it'll go ker-plooey!"

Babak: "I don't really think taking ideas from a kid is a good idea."

Zaltron: "Perhaps not, but it is our only option currently in play."

Then, the Castle shot at the wormhole, only for it to fire the laser back at them.

Allura: "It's not working! It's like we're shooting at ourselves!"

Babak: "I knew this was a bad idea!"

Then, Coran made a raspberry sound before he spoke.

Coran: "Where's Voltron?"

Omegus: "Voltron will be of no help to you here."

Coran immediately hid behind Babak in response to his voice.

Coran: "That voice is so scary!"

Then, the Castle ran into the void again.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the desolate world, Shiro kept his distance from the creatures and whoever was controlling them. Then, the figure spoke to Shiro from afar.

Vaxel: "Kuron..."

Shiro recognized that voice and grew shocked.

Shiro: "Vaxel?"

Vaxel: "I've spent my fair share of being stranded and deserted, but I never forget a face, least of all, yours."

Then, he motioned the creatures to attack Shiro before he was forced to retreat.

As it went on, Keith and Ayame were jumping through the geyser fields.

Keith: "Shiro, what happened?"

Shiro: "There's several creatures. Vaxel's commanding them, too."

As they evaded the geyser, Keith grew worried.

Keith: "Vaxel? I thought he was dead."

Shiro: "So did I. Looks like we're both wrong."

Then, Vaxel laughed behind Shiro.

Vaxel: "And how swiftly things change..."

Then, Keith and Ayame ended up caught in a geyser ambush.

Ayame: "Oh, no."

Then, they took off away from the geysers as they inadvertently created more of them with the unstable ground. They kept at it until one of the geysers knocked them off of a cliff.

Meanwhile, Shiro found a cave and ran toward it before Vaxel could hit him.

Vaxel: "After him!"

Then, the creatures ran toward Shiro before he jumped into it as they collided, causing a cave-in, much to Vaxel's dismay.

Shiro: "Keith, Ayame, are you okay? What happened?"

As Keith responded, he and Ayame were hanging by his sword.

Keith: "Minor delay, but we're on our way."

Ayame: "What about you, Takeshi?"

Shiro: "I'm all right, but I'm trapped in a cave, and Vaxel and his creatures have me cornered."

Ayame: "Just hang in there. We're on our way. We just..."

Then, they noticed a great distance from their cliff to another.

Ayame: "...have to figure this out."

Out in space, Pidge was going imitations of a certain Paladin with Trigel making a guess as to what Paladin he/she is.

Pidge: "My name is Keith. I am so emo."

Trigel seemed to have him figured out.

Trigel: "Maybe, But They're also the most sensitive, so they're quick to act on instinct, so... the Red Paladin?"

Pidge: "Yep. Now, which Paladin is this one? Shiro, you're our leader. What should we do?"

He then switched to a custom statue of Shiro before she spoke.

Pidge: "We'll get through this if we work together. We're a team."

Trigel: "Definitely the Black Paladin."

Pidge: "Look at me! I'm Lance. Hey, is that a cute girl over there?"

Trigel laughed at this.

Trigel: "That sounds just like Blaytz. He was quite the catch as the Blue Paladin back then."

Pidge: "I don't feel good. The smell of this place makes me want to barf."

Trigel: "Well, who wouldn't? It's a shame that the Yellow Paladin has a weak stomach."

Pidge: "Paladins, please. We must defeat Zarkon."

Having heard this, Trigel was reminded of the time when Zarkon was their ally and grew dismal as Pidge went in with imitating Coran.

Pidge: "Blah, blah, blah! Crazy words. Mustache."

Then, Pidge noticed Trigel's sadness and spoke to her.

Pidge: "Trigel. You alright?"

Trigel: "Huh? Oh, sorry. It's not you. I was just... reminded of something. That's all."

Pidge: "Oh. It's alright. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

Then, they noticed the Junk Dusters huddled by the Green Lion.

Pidge: "Huh? What is it?"

Trigel: "They act like this whenever the Green Lion is active. Which means..."

Then, the Green Lion flared awake as it roared.

Pidge: "Hey, you're working again! Welcome back!"

Then, Pidge tripped through the trash nebula and uncovered a satellite in the process.

Trigel: "Are you alright, Pidge?"

Pidge: "Yeah, I'm fine. It's a good thing this satellite broke my fall."

Then, she realized what it could do as far as getting their attention.

Pidge: "Hey! Maybe I can find my friends before they find me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Sandra, & Pidge were eating from the plant inside the castle. As they did, Lance felt he was getting crowded by sllthe mermaids, remembering Jenny was his girlfriend.

Lance: "Easy, ladies. Give me some space."

Hunk: "Your Royalness, if I may, this food is amazing. It's even better than the Balmeran cave bugs."

Queen Luxia: "I'm glad you enjoy it. It was picked fresh from the Baku Garden."

Having heard this, Sandra spat it out before she spoke.

Sandra: "What? From the giver of life? How do we know it's okay with this?"

Queen Luxia: "It is merely how we are provided food."

Sandra: "Well, in that case, I'm good."

Queen Luxia: "Well, I hope you enjoy the entertainment."

Then, they saw a curtain and saw a silhouette of a mermaid dancer.

Lance: "Whoa."

However, when the curtain opened, it revealed a squid on another bigger one, earning Lance's disgust and Sandra's laughter.

Sandra: "Ha-ha."

Hunk: "So, about us getting in contact with our friends, how can you help us?"

Queen Luxia: "Please, let's discuss that after the dance."

Sandra: "But this is serious. If we don't find our friends, the universe won't be safe from Omegus. Then you won't be safe or warm from him."

Having heard this, Queen Luxia's eyes widened before receiving a flashback.

* * *

 _At the Baku Garden, Luxia was inspecting the plant before she heard a voice inside her head._

 _Omegus: "Luxia..."_

 _Then, Luxia felt a pain in her headache before she tried to resist, but to no avail._

 _Omegus: "You must obey me."_

 _Then, Luxia gave in before she spoke aloud._

 _Queen Luxia: "What shall I do for you, master?"_

* * *

Then, Luxia shook her head before repeating his name.

Queen Luxia: "Did you say... Omegus?"

Sandra: "Yes. And we really need your help."

Then, Luxia nodded to her before she spoke to the dancer.

Queen Luxia: "Please. You may stop."

Then, Hunk was relieved for her to get back to the task at hand.

Hunk: "Finally."

Lance: "Oh, man. I kinda wanted to see that."

Then, Luxia spoke to them.

Queen Luxia: "Follow me."

Then, she brought the three Paladins to a clam shell containing a device as Blaytz followed.

Queen Luxia: "It has been many years since we have activated the energy beacon. During that time... I was controlled."

All: "Controlled? By who?"

Queen Luxia: "Omegus. He sent the Baku here to harvest us. We are It's food source, and I..."

She then paused in horror as she realized what she'd done to her people.

Queen Luxia: "I fed them to it."

Lance: "Wait... so you were gonna mind control us too?"

Queen Luxia: "I wasn't myself back then. But, it is thanks to Sandra that I've come to my senses."

Hunk: "Really? Just by talking to her?"

Sandra: "I have a knack for breaking hypnosis. I know how to wake people up, metaphorically and literally."

Then, the ground began to shake violently before the Baku Garden revealed itself to be a giant underwater worm as it roared.

Lance: "Did you wake that thing up, Sandy?"

Queen Luxia: "The Baku. It's realized we're not controlled."

Sandra: "We have to get to our lions and take it out."

Then, a strange blue alien figure with swords on his back and red tattoos beneath his eyes appeared.

Unknown: "Did someone call for backup?"

Then, the unknown figure did a flashing smile before the group looked at him in confusion.

Hunk: "Uh, not really?"

Lance: "Who are you supposed to be?"

Unknown: "I am Blaytz, the Blue Paladin of Voltron."

Then, Lance laughed at his claim before he spoke.

Lance: "Ah, that's funny. No, no, see, I'm the Blue Paladin of Voltron named Lance."

Then, Sandra pieced it together.

Sandra: "Actually, you're both right. He must be the original Blue Paladin."

Blaytz: "Your eyes do not deceive, my fair lady. Now, what say we take care of that creature?"

Hunk: "Uh, that's pretty much what we're gonna do anyway, so..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the cave, Jenny stumbled upon a section of the cave that glowed in rainbow colors. At the center of it was an purple-indigo anthropomorphic being that walked toward her as Jenny somehow knew what it was called.

Jenny: "The Shimmer. So, you're the one who guided me here?"

Then, the Shimmer spoke to her.

The Shimmer: "The shadows of the abyss are like the petals of a monstrous flower that shall blossom within the skull and expand the mind beyond what any man can bear."

Then, the Shimmer tapped Jenny's forehead, causing her to witness events in the future ranging from Zarkon in his new armor combating Voltron to Kaecilius overflowing with Chaotic Quintessence as his eyes flared red with a deranged smile. Then, Jenny saw Ayame and Xaira confronting each other in a dark realm of space that seemed to be another realm before the flash was over as she stumbled back, hyperventilating from the rush. Then, she remembered to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly enough before noticing the Shimmer had vanished. In its place was the White Lion in a silver barrier.

Jenny: "No way..."

* * *

In the wormhole, Coran was now a toddler and Babak a young man.

Coran: "Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this worm goes. I hungy."

Babak: "I know you're hungry, but we don't have anything to eat, okay?"

Then, Allura noticed Coran hopping on the control panel.

Allura: "Coran, no! That's not a toy. You're going to break the Castle and everything will stop!"

Then, she had another idea.

Allura: "Wait a second. Perhaps we can simply stop the Castle from moving."

However, the young Coran had other plans as he hopped on it more.

Coran: "No! Mine!"

Coran bit Allura's arm in the process before Babak caught him.

Babak: "Gotcha!"

Then, Allura shut down the Castle.

Allura: "I've shut down all the power."

However, Omegus' voice proved it didn't work.

Omegus: "You cannot stop your fate from reaching its conclusion, mortals."

Then, the young Coran threw a tantrum.

Coran: "My control panel!"

He then cried as they ran into the void, turning Coran into a baby and Babak into a toddler.

Allura: "I know, I know. Who wants to check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us? You do, that's who."

Zaltron: "We must find a solution before there's nothing left of our comrades."

Then, Coran spat out his pacifier before he spoke.

Coran: "Poopies."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the desolate world, Keith and Ayame looked at the geyser before looking to the cliff.

Keith: "Patience yields focus."

Shiro: "That really stayed with you, didn't it?"

Keith: "You've given me some good advice. If it wasn't for you, my life would have been a whole lot different."

Shiro: "Yeah. You wouldn't have crashed a flying lion on an alien planet and be stuck with little hope of rescue. So, you're welcome."

Ayame sensed what he was trying to do and didn't approve of it.

Ayame: "That wasn't funny, Takeshi."

Shiro: "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Ayame: "We'll talk about it when this is over."

Then, Keith and Ayame got in their positions before she spoke.

Ayame: "You ready?"

Keith: "Ready when you are."

Then, Keith sliced the chunk of ground, causing a geyser to erupt from it, launching them to the other cliff before it came apart, forcing Ayame to hold onto Keith before he used his jet pack to boost them up higher before grabbing onto the edge.

Shiro: "Keith! Ayame!"

Ayame: "We're fine, Takeshi!"

Keith: "We're on our way."

Shiro: "Good, because these guys just started digging."

As he told them of this, the creatures dig through the cave-in with Vaxel laughing.

Vaxel: "Well, well. Looks like someone has finally hit rock bottom."

Then, Ayame rode on Keith's back as he flew with his jetpack.

Ayame: "See anything?"

Keith: "Not yet."

Then, he found the Black Lion in the ground before chuckling.

Keith: "Shiro, we have a visual on the Black Lion."

Then, the creatures succeeded in digging before pulling Shiro out and chucking him to the wall. Then, Vaxel moved in to attack before he slammed his fist to the ground while Shiro used his arm to counter, only for Vaxel to counter it with his sword as the pain from his wound escalated. Vaxel saw this and took the opportunity to body slam him off of the cliff and send him tumbling, causing him to lose his helmet in the process. Shiro struggles to get up and run as Vaxel motioned the creatures to go after him. All the while, Keith tried to reach Shiro.

Keith: "Shiro, what happened?"

When there was no response, Ayame grew worried.

Ayame: "Oh, no. You don't think..."

Keith: "No, Ayame. It won't come to that."

Then, Keith sped up his speed as he took off with Ayame in tow. When they'd reached the Black Lion, they noticed Vaxel and the creatures swarming over to him.

Ayame: "Takeshi..."

Then, Ayame turned to Keith before she spoke.

Ayame: "You need to get the Black Lion working. I'll help Shiro hold them off."

Keith: "Alright."

Then, Ayame slid on the edge of the cliff as Keith tried to connect with the Black Lion.

Keith: "I know I'm not Shiro, but he's in trouble. We need to help him."

Then, Ayame prepared two dark purple orbs in her hands before she fired them at the creatures, forcing them to run away, much to Vaxel's anger.

Vaxel: "Where are you going?! Attack! Attack!"

Then, Ayame landed by Shiro and looked to see if he was alright, but found he was unconscious.

Ayame: "No..."

Then, Vaxel grew surprised to see Ayame.

Vaxel: "Well, isn't this a surprise. A visit from Zarkon's progeny. How quaint."

Ayame was about to retaliate before she saw her hands with dark purple orbs before she came to the realization and had to face the truth. At the same moment, she remembered her experiences, good and bad, on Earth and out.

Ayame: "They're right. I am Zarkon's daughter... but that doesn't make me who I am. I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done to Takeshi."

Vaxel: "You mean Kuron? He's been a failure since he was first captured. He was bound to be broken one day."

Ayame: "Enough!"

Then, Ayame fired her blasts at Vaxel, forcing him to use his arm to defend himself as he got pushed back by a steady stream of her dark blast. He grunted as he tried to push it back. Then, he saw an opening before he slammed his sword to the ground, causing a stream of Dark Quintessence to head towards her and strike her to the ground before the blast ceased as Vaxel drew his breath.

Vaxel: "You may be powerful. But without proper control, you're just not worth the trouble."

Then, he heard a roar as the Black Lion came down on him and attacked Vaxel with a laser, this time, disintegrating his body as he echoed his yell. Then, the Black Lion turned to Ayame who held Shiro in her arms. Then, she noticed that Keith was in the Black Lion.

Ayame: "What kept you?"

Keith: "I was a bit anxious for a moment."

Ayame giggled at his answer before looking at her older brother.

Ayame: "Don't worry, Takeshi. You'll pull through. I know you will."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the trash nebula, Pidge, Trigel, and the Junk Dusters collected an array of trash and wiring from the nebula and made it so that the satellite was in place.

Pidge: "That ought to do it. Now let's see if we can get a hold of the Castle."

Pidge activated the satellite, but just when it seemed like it'll work, it failed, much to Pidge's dismay.

Pidge: "No, no! What's wrong? We need to get out of here! We need to find our friends! Come on!"

Then, the Green Lion cane on and roared, recharging the satellite and providing a signal. Pidge saw this and grew relieved.

Pidge: "Thanks. Now, let's see if this thing works."

With that, Pidge and Trigel landed inside the Green Lion as she turned the monitors on.

Pidge: "I hope the signal's strong enough to reach the Castle."

Trigel: "As do I."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny got inside the White Lion and analyzed its specs. There, she noticed two bayard-like keyholes and cane to a conclusion.

Jenny: "Wait a tick. It's just like the Violet Lion."

Then, the White Lion purred before it spoke in the voice of a wise woman.

White Lion: _"There shall be a fire that knows your name, and in the presence of the strangling fruit, its dark flame shall acquire every part of you."_

Then, Jenny received a vision with Ayame and Xaira separate before they became one and produced a dark purple aura around her before she spoke.

Xaira: "Jenny..."

Then, Jenny was shocked out of her vision before she shook her head.

Jenny: "Was that...? It can't be, can it?"

Then, Jenny reserved it for later.

Jenny: "Well, no time to worry about it, now. It's time to head on back."

Then, she thrusted the levers, but found they couldn't work. She had an idea to remedy that.

Jenny: "Let me rephrase. Can we head to the Castle, please?"

Then, the White Lion flared its eyes with a bright blue color before it roared and took off for the Castle and roared again, preparing a wormhole in the process as Jenny grew surprised.

Jenny: "You can make your own wormholes? That's awesome!"

Then, the White Lion entered the wormhole before it disappeared.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura was holding onto Coran while Zaltron held Babak's hand with his finger.

Allura: "Coran, what are we going to do? If we hit the end of the tunnel again, you'll cease to exist."

Coran cooed as he was held by Allura.

Allura: "I'm sorry. You were like a second father to me."

However, Zaltron knew better.

Zaltron: "Allura. A signal has appeared from the outside."

Allura: "It's locked onto two coordinates!"

Then, Allura summoned her wormhole in place of the void.

Allura: "Come on. Come on!"

Then, they went in the blue wormhole before popping out of the dark tunnel and appearing in space.

Allura: "We made it!"

Then, Allura and Zaltron noticed Coran and Babak back to their old selves again.

Coran: "Mm? Mom?"

Allura dropped Coran from her hands before they noticed Pidge.

Allura: "You saved us, Pidge. We were stuck in a time loop."

Coran: "You got us out with this giant trash pile."

Pidge: "It's a make-shift communications link that sends out the Green Lion's energy. It's similar to the energy that guided the Blue Lion home."

Babak: "Pidge, you're a genius."

Pidge: "I know. But it wasn't just me. They helped."

Pidge turned to Trigel and the Junk Dusters before Allura and Coran grew surprised.

Coran: "Trigel? What are you doing here?"

Trigel: "It's a long story."

Allura: "Let's go get the rest of the Paladins."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny appeared in the underwater world and found the Baku attacking the castle.

Jenny: "What the heck is that thing? Well, I guess it's time to see what else she can do."

Then, Jenny noticed Hunk and Lance in their lions attacking the Baku.

Hunk: "That thing's too quick for me. I can't hit it! My Lion's not very good in water."

Lance: "Really? My Lion's moving faster than ever. There's something about fighting underwater that's making me feel extra quick and powerful. And I think I know how to stop that thing."

Hunk: "How?"

Lance: "We gotta stop shooting where the creature is and start shooting where the creature's gonna be."

Then, Jenny, having overheard this, spoke up as the White Lion arrived in between the Yellow and Blue Lion's.

Jenny: "I can take it from here, guys."

Lance/Hunk/Sandra: "Jenny?!"

Lance: "How'd you get here?"

Sandra: "Where have you been?"

Hunk: "And is that a White Lion?"

Jenny: "Yeah, it is. I'll explain later."

Then, Jenny targeted where the Baku would be and fired a white light at it, hurting it and infuriating it, causing it to go for the White Lion, who took off for the trench, leading the Baku away from the castle and causing it to get stuck. Then, she fired another white light at the mountain, causing a chunk of it to fall on the Baku, defeating it.

Jenny: "And that's a wrap."

Lance, Hunk, Blaytz, and Sandra were impressed with its capabilities.

Blaytz: "I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes."

Sandra: "That was fast."

Hunk: "Yeah. Like, way faster than normal. Nice work!"

Lance: "That was amazing, Jenny! How did you find this lion?"

Jenny: "It's a long story."

Then, she noticed the mermaids that lived there.

Jenny: "So, you finally saw a mermaid, huh?"

Lance: "Yeah. We did."

Jenny: "Cool."

Later, she got acquainted with the mermaids, including Queen Luxia who was told of her latest adventures.

Queen Luxia: "You've given so much for this universe, Jennifer. I give you the best of luck."

Jenny: "Thanks, your majesty."

Then, Blaytz had one thing on his list left.

Blaytz: "Well, I suppose it's time to let the others know the problem's taken care of."

Lance/Hunk/Sandra/Jenny: "Others?"

Then, as if on cue, three more mermaids appeared, each wearing a jellyfish on their heads. Seeing them surprised Lance as he exclaimed before Blaytz spoke to them.

Blaytz: "Relax, you guys. You don't need to worry. It turned out the Baku Garden was controlling everyone, even the Queen. But, me and the Paladins of Voltron took care of it no problem."

One of the new group spoke in surprise.

Unknown: "Really? You did?"

Blaytz: "Yep. But the honors really belong to Jenny. She's the Paladin if the White Lion."

Jenny looked back on how far she'd gotten to be called that and smiled.

Jenny: "Oh, yeah. I am the White Paladin, aren't I?"

Unknown: "Finally, I can get rid of this thing."

Then, one of the mermaids took off the blue jellyfish on her, revealing a beautiful face, surprising Jenny.

Jenny: "Whoa. She is hot."

Lance: "I know."

Jenny: "Who are you guys?"

Unknown: "Oh, sorry. I am Plaxum."

Unknown 2: "I am Blumfump."

Unknown 3: "Swirn."

Jenny: "Wow. It's... it's really cool to meet you guys. I wonder what it'd take to be like you guys."

Then, suddenly, a bright light overcame her and turned her legs into a tail while also giving her upper body a white Lion-crested bra, much to the surprise of all.

Lance: "Jenny, what just happened?"

Jenny: "I don't know. But... I like it."

After having spent time as a mermaid for a half-hour, Jenny, Lance, Sandra, and Hunk went back in their lions and waved goodbye as they left before Lance spoke to Jenny.

Lance: "Wow, this day is full of surprises, huh? I saw mermaids, you found the White Lion, and you actually turned into a mermaid. I do t know what else could top this."

Jenny: "Just wait and see."

Then, the White Lion roared, summoning a wormhole in front of them.

Lance: "Did you just make a wormhole?!"

Then, they entered it before it faded away.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the desolate world, Keith was looking after Shiro alongside Ayame.

Shiro: "Thanks for saving me, guys."

Keith: "You'd have done the same for me."

Ayame: "How's your wound?"

Shiro: "My wound's great. It's getting bigger all the time."

That only made Ayame and Keith worried again.

Ayame: "Remember what I said, Takeshi? Don't even joke like that. You're terrible at it."

Keith: "Hang in there. When Allura, Babak, and Coran find us, they'll fix you right up."

Shiro: "Keith, if I don't make it out of here, I want you to lead Voltron."

Both Keith and Ayame grew surprised at his request, but persisted in letting him rest nonetheless.

Keith: "Stop talking like that. You're gonna make it."

Ayame: "Just get your rest. You more than earned this."

Then, Shiro complied as he let out a sigh and fell asleep. Then, Ayame turned to Keith and spoke to him.

Ayame: "It's good that he's asleep now. I have something I should tell you. The others can't know this about me. Not yet."

Keith: "Know what? What are you talking about?"

Ayame: "I'm... I really am Zarkon's daughter."

Keith widened his eyes from hearing this. He just couldn't believe it. Until he thought back to when she went out of control back at the universal hub against Komar.

Keith: "That's why you went out of control, isn't it? Because you're part Galra?"

Ayame nodded in solemness before Keith hugged her, much to Ayame's surprise.

Keith: "It's okay. You're still the Ayame I know. So what if you're Zarkon's daughter? I don't care about that one bit. I just want you with me."

Then, Ayame teared up as she hugged him tighter and smiled.

Ayame: "Thank you, Keith. You have no idea how much it means to me. If the others knew..."

Keith: "They won't know. Not until it's time."

Then, to their surprise, they saw a White Lion hovering above them after arriving through a wormhole, as well as the Yellow and Blue Lions.

Jenny: "Hi, guys! What's up?"

Keith and Ayame grew surprised before they smiled as the lions arrived, proceeded with the arrival of the Castle following them.

Jenny: "Let's get you guys out of here."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Zarkon's Command Center, Zarkon called in Kaecilius, Komar, Thace, and Prorok to him.

Zarkon: "Explain to me how you let Voltron escape."

Prorok: "Perhaps it was a mechanical failure, sire. Haggar boosted the solar barrier's power beyond its normal limits."

Witch Haggar: "This was no mechanical failure. The two sentries That were guarding the barrier control were found destroyed. This was clearly sabotage."

Prorok: "Lord Zarkon, I will start an investigation immediately. I will not rest until the perpetrators are captured."

Then, Komar has a theory.

Komar: "Perhaps I can save months of investigation. If I may, Lord Zarkon?"

Zarkon: "Proceed."

Komar: "Who has been trying to chisel away Voltron from you this entire time? Who sent his fleet out without your orders to get Voltron? I'll give you one answer: Prorok!"

Prorok grew alarmed at such an accusation.

Prorok: "Sire, no! I-I would never do that."

Komar: "Wouldn't you?"

Then, he used his siphon to play a recorded message from him.

Prorok: "I'll capture Voltron on my own."

That shocked Prorok even more before Komar spoke to him.

Komar: "I believe the evidence has given us more than enough proof, don't you agree?"

Zarkon made a decision with his words.

Zarkon: "Get rid of him."

Then, the soldiers began carrying Prorok away.

Prorok: "No! I'm innocent."

Kaecilius: "So, what is to become of him?"

Witch Haggar: "Before we dispose of him, the Druids will find out all that he knows. Then, he will receive a punishment worse than death."

Then, Zarkon spoke to Thace.

Zarkon: "Lieutenant Thace. You are now placed under Kaecilius' charge. You will obey his orders without question."

Thace: "Vrepit Sa."

 **A/N: Whoo, that was tough. BTW, the markings that Jenny was shown and told was from the book called Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. I just thought these lines would be perfect to suit her growth. And as for Kumiko, though she wasn't officially created, she belongs to Akame-No-Senshi. And her voice actress is Cherami Leigh. The next time you'll see her is when things take an unexpected turn with Lotor in the future. Those of you who've seen Season 6, you know what I'm talking about.**


	14. Across the Universe

**Chapter 13:** Across the Universe

 _Outside, Jenny went inside the Blue Lion as she flew and exhaled once she was inside._

" _Okay, what just happened?"_

" _Who cares? Wormhole!"_

 _Then, the wormhole appeared in front of the Castle before Kaecilius snarled._

" _You won't get away!"_

 _With that, Kaecilius fired a red and light violet blast at the wormhole, changing its color to red and violet before it closed, much to Varek's disappointment._

" _No. Looks like we won't find them again. Those rotten Alteans."_

" _Oh, well, no matter. We'll find them again, soon. And when we find them, we will deal with them and complete our utopia."_

" _And what of our other problem?"_

" _That... will require some patient thought. There's no sense in rushing when dealing with a light giver."_

" _Hmph. I suppose you're right."_

* * *

 _Inside the wormhole, the group was getting stuck in a desperate situation._

" _Coran, what's happening?"_

" _The integrity of the wormhole is compromised. It's breaking down!"_

" _What does that mean?"_

" _It means we have no control over where we're headed!"_

" _Then who does?!"_

 _Before they could answer, the tremors in the Castle shook the Black, Red, and Violet Lions out of the Castle._

" _Keith! Shiro! Lapis!"_

" _What just happened?"_

" _It's chaos in there!"_

" _I don't know, but we've got to stay together."_

 _Suddenly, Jenny couldn't hold on and ended up thrusted out of the Blue Lion's mouth and flew away out of the wormhole as Lance and Hunk took their dive next as Pidge swirled out of the wormhole last, leaving Allura, Babak, Coran, and Zaltron within the wormhole as the princess feared the worst._

" _They've vanished through the temporal rift! The lions are gone!"_

* * *

At a distant planet, a portal opened up before the Red, Black, and Violet Lions went through it. As the Black Lion fell on one side, the Red and Violet Lions fell onto another. While it occurred, Keith and Lapis tried to maintain control.

"Come on, come on, come on!"

"Come on, Violet! Hang on!"

However, they were both unsuccessful as they had crashed into the planet. Not long after, Keith woke up from the crash, as did Ayame, Lapis, Azix, Zaltron, and Belle. Keith tried to pull the levers, but found they had no effect.

"You okay, Red?"

Keith tried again, but failed to stir the Red Lion.

"Okay. We'll fix you up. We had a tough battle."

Then, Keith heard Ayame in his helmet.

"Keith. Takashi. Can anyone read me?"

Fortunately, Keith's voice responded.

"Yeah, Ayame. I hear you."

"Thank goodness."

"Where are you?"

"Try looking in front of you."

Then, Keith looked through the eyes of his lion to see the Violet Lion as well as Ayame waving to him through its eyes. Then, the both of them climbed out of their lions to see a desolate world before Lapis and the others climbed up while Ayame noticed the conditions of the planet firsthand, through her own eyes.

"This looks so strange."

"Where are we? Where have we landed?"

Then, Keith realized who else was missing.

"Shiro."

Ayame thought of him, too, and gasped at how hurt he must've been.

"Takashi! We have to find him!"

Lapis, thinking the situation through, spoke of a certain situation that would be present should they all bolt.

"Well, we can't go with this time. If all of us leave, how would we find the way back to our lions?"

Azix and Belle couldn't agree more.

"The best discourse would be to remain here in case help arrives."

"Just make sure Shiro's okay."

Ayame nodded to her before responding.

Don't worry. I will."

* * *

Far away in outer space, a portal opened up, spewing the Green Lion out of it and towards rings of broken space junk.

"Whoa!"

She tried to keep her Lion in control before she crash landed onto the ring. She tried to get it working, but couldn't.

"Huh? What's the matter, girl?"

She didn't get a response from the Green Lion before she spoke to it again.

"Okay, rest a bit. I'll see what I can do."

Pidge analyzed the area around her before she made a hypothesis.

"Looks like there's no gravity here. It's like some trash nebula of some kind. Okay, Pidge, stay calm. You know what they say. 'When you get lost in space, the best thing to do is stay put and wait for people to find you.' This'll be nice. I'll have some 'me' time... No one to annoy me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk, Sandra, and Lance were ejected to a frozen ocean and crashed into it before Lance spoke to them.

"Hunk, Sandra, you okay? Guys?"

As an answer, Hunk retched in his Yellow Lion before responding.

"I'm fine."

"You just threw up, didn't you?"

"Yeah. He did."

"You would too if you got sucked out of a wormhole at light speed, then crash-landed on an ice planet and ended up underwater."

Lance felt it was uncalled for.

"That is what happened to me!"

"Oh, right."

Lance checked on the Lion's systems and noticed they weren't in great condition.

"My main system is down. The crash must have screwed it up. Does yours work?"

"I'm on reserve power. My Lion's pretty much _dead in the water_."

Lance and Sandra frowned at Hunk's joke.

"Boo."

"This situation's bad enough, Hunk. Don't make it worse with puns."

"I'm just shocked we hit a planet. I thought Pidge said space was 90% empty."

"Well, apparently, Pidge's science is wrong."

Sandra felt the opposite about it.

"Or this could be the 10% that isn't empty."

"We need to contact the others and get back to group immediately. Hello, anyone? This is Hunk and Lance of the Yellow and Blue Lions."

"They know the color of our lions!"

"Okay, yeah. I always forget that. My bad."

Then, both lions landed underwater on the ground.

I've gotta check for damage and get these lions running."

"Copy that."

Then, to Lance's surprise, it came back on.

"Oh, good. The Blue Lion's coming back online now. Welcome back, beautiful."

Then, as it looked around, it saw a flash of a mermaid before it scurried away behind a rock, surprising Lance.

"Uh... guys, did... did you just see something swim by?"

Having not seen a glimpse of anything, Hunk and Sandra quickly answered.

"What? No."

"Why do you ask?"

Then, Lance looked around before seeing her again.

"No way! This is going to sound crazy, but I think I just saw a mermaid."

Hunk and Sandra began to think he's hallucinating from a concussion at this.

"Oh, boy. Okay, how hard did you bang your head when we hit the planet?"

"More importantly, how many times?"

"Guys, I'm serious!"

Then, he saw the mermaid going around him, causing Lance to keep the Blue Lion's eyes fixated on her.

"Look! There it is again! Hey, come here! Where you going? Hey, slow down!"

Hunk grew annoyed with Lance's antics.

"Lance, knock it off. We have to stay focused and get to the others, and..."

Then, he saw Lance leaving his Lion.

"You're outside of your lion. Great."

"I know we have to find the others. I'm just saying maybe this thing can help. Also, it's a mermaid. A mermaid! Come on, let's find it."

This made Sandra frown before giving Lance a most likely reality should Jenny find out.

"You know, if Jenny was here, she'd tear your heart out and rip it apart."

"No. No way. Nope. Not going out there."

"Okay, you stay here, by yourself, in the dark, all alone in a Lion that's out of commission."

In no time at all, Hunk swam over to Lance in a flash.

"Don't leave me!"

Sandra groaned as she got out, too.

* * *

On a faraway planet, Jenny was hurtled out of the portal and onto a planet with lush grass as she yelled until she'd crashed. After that, Jenny looked up with grass bud in her mouth and spat it out before noticing a rainforest in a plain white sky.

"Huh? Where the heck am I?"

She began walking towards it as her curiosity grew boundlessly. Once she walked in the rainforest, she took a look at all the exotic plants and noticed them changing color rapidly like chameleons and looked ahead of her to see them doing waves that change to various colors of a rainbow pointing to a cave.

"Huh. That's weird."

Then, she stepped forward into the cave and found a torch. There wasn't oil to work with, so she used her hand to produce an orb and light the torch before she stepped into it. Then, as Jenny walked in the cave, she'd noticed an inscription on it and read it aloud.

"'Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner, I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead to share with the worms that gather in the darkness and surround the world with the power of their lives while from the dim-lit halls of other places, forms that never could be writhe for the impatience of the few who have never seen or been seen.' Strangling fruit? Seeds of the dead? What's that supposed to—?"

Then, Jenny heard voices in another area of the cave before she looked toward it and found countless bright and round orbs that were planted in the ground. Seeing as they so happened to show Jenny's short fit of despair upon losing Belle, an idea came to her about a friend that they've lost in the Garrison.

"Hold on. I didn't lose my sis. Although... maybe I did, in a way. But, if that's true, does that mean...?"

Then, she found another orb and saw what she hoped she'd never see: an unmoving corpse of Kumiko after going through overdose. She fought the urge to cry, but was barely successful before she wiped her tears away and remembered how James Griffin bullied her up to this point and how Ayame cut herself off from everyone afterward. Although she didn't meet Kumiko, herself, she still had felt as though she knew her as she spoke to the orb.

"I wish you could be with us, Kumiko. Then you'd know about everything we've been through since you've been gone. But... I can't take you away from where you are, no matter how much I want to. Not this time. It'd be so unfair to you. I'm not that kind of person."

Then, Jenny began to let her tears out as she smiled.

"I just hope that your pain is gone, Kumiko, for Ayame's sake. For her to know you're alright... that's enough for me."

From there, she found an arrow pointing to the next location. Before she left, she turned to the seed showing Kumiko.

"As weird as it sounds, we do miss you, Kumiko. Both of us do."

Then, Jenny walked forward to the arrow as she sported a look of determination.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the wormhole, Allura, Babak, Zaltron, and Coran were having difficulty bracing the turbulence as Coran gave an order to the bodyguard.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

"Right."

Then, as Zaltron and Allura looked at it, they noticed that something was at the end with the Princess speaking to them.

"Coran, look! There appears to be something on the other end. We're heading right toward it!"

Babak knew otherwise as he responded back.

"Scanners show that there's no exit. It's just nothingness. Find an exit before we run straight into the void!"

"I can't. I've lost control of the Castle."

Coran then gave a warning as they came extremely close.

"Brace yourself! We're about to hit it!"

Then, the Castle ran into the void before Coran spoke.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

"Right."

Allura and Zaltron looked around the castle and saw Coran with his hair in front of his left eye while Babak has no mustache.

"Coran, we're okay."

Babak, having seemingly no recollection of a moment ago, felt a different call was in order.

"How can you say that, Princess?! We've lost all the lions!"

"We've just smashed into a black void. Don't you remember?"

At that moment, Zaltron answered Allura's query.

"I do. Unfortunately, they don't."

Allura looked toward Zaltron and the mice, which had now become squirrels before she grew surprised.

"What happened to the mice? They've transformed."

"As did Babak and Coran, from the appearance of this situation."

Coran felt he was being stared at as he spoke to the Princess.

"Why are you looking at us like that? Do I have a boogie stick in my mustache again?"

"No. You look younger."

Then, the Castle shook as Omegus spoke before Babak repeated himself.

"Your time will soon end, Alteans."

"Scanners show that there's no exit. It's just nothingness!"

"You said that already!"

"Find an exit before we run straight into the void!"

"I'm entering the coordinates to get us out of here."

Then, Allura hit another road block in doing so as it was unable to do the job.

"The Castle won't accept an end point."

"Just enter any coordinates!"

"I tried, but the system is locked. I can't get a signal out or receive any signal in."

"Allura!"

Then, the castle crashed into the void again before Coran and Babak now took on a younger appearance.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us."

Then, Babak spoke next as he now bore a captain's uniform with a badge and a hat.

"Good thinking, Soldier."

Then, Coran danced around the befuddled Allura and Zaltron.

"What's the matter? You look confused. Don't worry, Princess. I'll get us out of here."

As Coran flashed his eyes at her, Zaltron had a theory.

"It appears we're stuck in a sort of time loop that affects everyone but us."

Then, Allura tripped behind the mice now turned hippos.

"I was going to say that."

With that, Babak spoke up as Allura predicted it easily.

"Unfortunately, the scanners show no exit. It's just—"

"Nothingness. I know. And we can't find another exit point."

"Did I say you could talk back to your captain?!"

Coran then spoke up in determination.

"Don't just stand there. We've got to find a way. I'll never give into nothingness!"

Then, contrary to Coran's word, the castle ran into the void again.

* * *

Meanwhile on the desolate world, Keith and Ayame were looking for Shiro while Lapis and the others remained in the Violet Lion. As they did so, Shiro tried reaching them.

"Keith. Ayame, are you there? Guys?"

Unfortunately, Shiro didn't have any luck getting their attention.

"I've got to get to higher ground."

As he proceeded to do so, Keith and Ayame were jumping on the surface.

"Shiro, can you hear me? Shiro?"

"Takashi, are you there? Answer me!"

Fortunately, Shiro finally found an area where he could hear them.

"Guys. I'm here, guys. I'm okay."

Hearing his voice gave Ayame and Keith relief from the situation.

"Thank goodness."

"Shiro, you made it."

"It takes more than a glowing alien wound, a fall from the upper atmosphere, and crashing into a hard pan surface, at what I'm guessing is about 25 meters per second squared to get rid of me. How are you?"

"Not good. Our Lion's busted."

Ayame caught onto every word Shiro said and grew worried.

"Wait, what wound?"

"It's nothing."

However, Shiro had a flashback of when he'd received that wound from Haggar before he began tensing in pain.

"Hang on, I'm coming."

Then, Shiro looked behind him to see a few creatures on the Black Lion and looking up at him. Then, a figure wrapped in a dark purple cloak stepped on the lion as the creatures huddled to him and bowed before he looked up to Shiro and flared his purple eyes at him.

"On second thought, you better hurry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge looked around in the trash nebula and saw two blue lights within a cave.

"Who's there?"

Then, countless blue lights turned on in sets followed by two yellow eyes, causing Pidge to panic and hold her bayard toward the lights before the blue and yellow lights stepped forth from the darkness and revealed themselves to be a puffy pink alien cloud with a blue symbol below its eyes with another of it in green.

"Whoa. Who are these little guys?"

The alien clouds then emerged one by one as Pidge asked them a question.

"Are you the only ones living here? I'm waiting for my own friends to find me. We were separated during a wormhole jump."

Then, the creatures squished themselves together as Pidge confirmed what she believed to be their symbol for friends.

"Yeah! I sure hope they find me soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Sandra, & Hunk turned on their lights and found the mermaid Lance saw. When she took off, Lance wanted to follow her.

"Come on!"

Then, the three Paladins took off for her, getting closer to her location.

"Wow, Lance. I've seen a lot of things out in space. But not once did I think I'd see a mermaid."

"I can't believe this! We're really chasing a mermaid."

Then, the mermaid began to go faster.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait! We're friendly!"

Then, when she swam out of view, she revealed an underwater city with a garden in front of it.

"Whoa!"

Then, the mermaid spoke behind them.

"Hello."

They got surprised a moment before she spoke further.

"Welcome to my village. Here, all are safe and warm."

Then, they noticed walrus creatures behind them as the boys panicked while Sandra got ready to defend herself.

"Please, do not startle our guests. I am Florona. The almighty Queen Luxia, keeper of our land, would like to meet with you."

Then, they followed the walrus creatures to the city as Sandra asked her.

"How did your queen know we were here?"

"Queen Luxia knows all."

Then, Sandra drew a suspicious look as they rode on the sea lions to the palace.

"Lance, I know this mermaid thing is your dream and all, but something about this place just doesn't sit well with me. Besides, we should go find our friends."

"We will, Sandy, we will, but let's meet this queen first. Maybe she can help us."

"For everyone's sake, I hope you're right."

Then, they've finally reached the palace where Queen Luxia was waiting.

"Space travelers. I am Queen Luxia. I welcome you to our village as welcomed guests."

Sandra bowed in respect before she spoke.

"My name's Sandra. I'm a Voltron Paladin."

Luxia's eyes widened at this.

"A Voltron Paladin?"

"Yeah. We were just in the midst of fighting Zarkon."

Lance tried to introduce himself next, but ended up going upside down and caught by Hunk.

"I'm La-a-a-ance."

"Uh, Mrs. Queen, your honor, your excellence. I'm Hunk, and me and my buddies here , we crash-landed on your lovely planet, but we really need to get back in touch with our friends who are in space. Would you possibly have any way of doing that?"

"Hunk, Lance, Sandra, I can solve all of your problems. Here, we are all safe and warm."

"Hmm. Florona said the same thing."

"You use magic, don't you? I bet this castle's a ship. This castle is a ship, right? Just don't say anything if I'm right."

Sandra felt it was uncalled for, seeing as they knew nothing about the mermaids.

"They're not Alteans, Hunk."

"Here, I've brought you these. The bubble coral will provide you with the air you need."

Sandra took a look at her oxygen reserves and found them low before she agreed.

"Alright, then."

Then, she, Lance, and Hunk used it to make bubbles around their heads before they thanked her.

"Thank you, Fish Queen."

"It's Queen Luxia, Hunk. She has a name."

"And rest assured, your space vessels will be well protected."

Then, they noticed the Blue and Yellow Lions being carried away above the castle.

"Now, please, follow me."

Then, they took a look at the garden beneath the lions.

"What is that?"

"That is the giver of life to our people, the Baku Garden. When the waters froze over, we were forced to live down here. The garden provides us the warmth and food we need to survive. Because of it, we all are taken care of."

This made Sandra figure out how they could survive the cold climate.

"Now I get what you're saying. It's to protect you against this harsh climate on the surface, right?"

"Like I said, here, all are safe and warm."

Then, they entered the palace with Sandra maintaining suspicion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny walked deeper into the cave where the arrow pointed until she stumbled upon the cave area where the water was black and where there was a crack up on the ceiling before she found another inscription and read it aloud.

"In the black water with the sun shining at midnight, those fruit shall come ripe, and in the darkness, that which is golden shall split open to reveal the revelation of the fatal softness in the earth."

Then, as if on cue, the bright light shone on the black water, causing it to split apart and create a pathway for Jenny to walk across, where at the very end was an orb-shaped hole. Then, Jenny looked to see the orb growing at the center suddenly rewinding to before Kumiko's passing just when she prepared to drug herself. Jenny began to realize that it could be a new start for her. On one hand, she could help her out and give her a better future. But on the other, she doesn't know if it'll make drastic changes to their time. Nonetheless, she looked to the hole and ran toward it before speaking softly through it.

"Please, Kumiko. Don't let everyone else suffer your pain. Only you can bear it, and you alone."

Then, as if she heard her voice, Kumiko spoke up.

"What? Who's there?!"

Then, Jenny picked up the orb gently as she spoke again.

"It's okay. I'm nowhere near you. I'm just speaking to you telepathically, I guess?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's, uh, complicated. But, listen, this is the voice of Jenny Shaybon, a friend of Ayame's in the future."

"The future?"

"I know it sounds far-fetched, but trust me when I say you shouldn't do this to yourself. By doing this, you'd only end up making her miserable. For Ayame's sake, no matter what you think about yourself, don't just throw your life away. Please..."

Kumiko placed her hand on her chin, reconsidering her decision before thinking about the impact it could have and made a decision.

"Okay. I get it. You don't want me to go away. You want me to stay. But even if I wanted to stay, how am I supposed to put up with this?"

"You can ask for our help. You've kinda been putting it off for too long. Oh, and one more thing. Just be yourself. If they got a problem with that, who cares? They don't know you like Ayame does."

Kumiko then began to lightly sob as her tears dropped onto her bed.

"I get it, now. Thank you, Jenny. So much."

Jenny began to sob as well before wiping her tears away and speaking in an attempt to hold back her sobs.

"No, Kumi. Thank you."

Then, the orb's glow faded and turned into a passion fruit before the blue light began glowing underneath it and spread across the black water, immediately disabling it and turning the black water into land as it began to crack and crumble to dust. In the process, Jenny fell down the dark hole until she landed on her rump.

"Ow!"

Having survived the fall, Jenny picked up the torch and found another arrow pointing the way, growing more confused.

"Where exactly is it leading me?"

* * *

At the Castle, Coran had now turned into a teenager with his hair mostly shaved and Babak now in his thirties.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us. Ahh, this is so boring."

"I don't need this kind of attitude from you, son! Especially not now!"

"You don't understand me at all! You don't know what I'm going through! I'll be in my control area! Hmmph!"

As Coran stormed off, Zaltron turned to Allura.

"If we don't figure a way out of this conundrum soon, Babak and Coran would disappear instantaneously."

"Don't you think I know that?"

Then, Allura took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"Look, I can't manually enter the coordinates. But the Castle will automatically lock on to the lions' whereabouts if we can locate them."

Then, she pulled the monitors back and expanded the universal map, only to find no luck there either.

"It's not working! I'm

unable to hone in on their location."

Then, Coran danced around, listening to loud opera, much to Babak's anger.

"Coran, turn that racket back down! Our lives are at stake!"

"I can only express myself through music!"

Coran, if you don't turn down that music, I swear I'll have Allura turn this castle around and—"

"And what? We're just gonna fun into the void that's coming up here. I hate everybody!"

Then, the Castle ran into the void again before it repeated with Coran now the age of a young man and Babak the age of a teenager.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us, whatever that means."

The younger Babak looked to Allura.

"Did you come up with anything, Allura?"

"We've tried everything and nothing's worked. A few more trips down this wormhole and you'll both disappear. We must find a way out."

"And how are we supposed to do that, huh?"

Coran offered a suggestion as he rode in the newly transformed mice.

"Just blast your way out! Duh!"

"I suppose it's worth a try. The Castle defenses might have enough firepower to destroy the tunnel."

"Yeah! And it'll go ker-plooey!"

"I don't really think taking ideas from a kid is a good idea."

Zaltron couldn't agree or disagree with that.

"Perhaps not, but it is our only option currently in play."

Then, the Castle shot at the wormhole, only for it to fire the laser back at them.

"It's not working! It's like we're shooting at ourselves!"

"I knew this was a bad idea!"

Then, Coran made a raspberry sound before he spoke.

"Where's Voltron?"

Leaving his question unanswered, the Castle ran into the void again.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the desolate world, Shiro kept his distance from the creatures and whoever was controlling them. Then, the figure spoke to Shiro from afar.

"Kuron..."

Shiro recognized that voice and grew shocked.

"Vaxel?"

"I've spent my fair share of being stranded and deserted, but I never forget a face, least of all, yours."

Then, he motioned the creatures to attack Shiro before he was forced to retreat.

As it went on, Keith and Ayame were jumping through the geyser fields as the former spoke.

"Shiro, what happened?"

"There's several creatures. Vaxel's commanding them, too."

As they evaded the geyser, Keith grew worried.

"Vaxel? I thought he was dead."

"So did I. Looks like we're both wrong."

Then, Vaxel laughed behind Shiro.

"And how swiftly things change..."

Then, Keith and Ayame ended up caught in a geyser ambush as the latter got worried.

"Oh, no."

Then, they took off away from the geysers as they inadvertently created more of them with the unstable ground. They kept at it until one of the geysers knocked them off of a cliff.

Meanwhile, Shiro found a cave and ran toward it before Vaxel could hit him.

"After him!"

Then, the creatures ran toward Shiro before he jumped into it as they collided, causing a cave-in, much to Vaxel's dismay.

"Keith, Ayame, are you okay? What happened?"

As Keith responded, he and Ayame were hanging by his sword.

"Minor delay, but we're on our way."

"What about you, Takashi?"

"I'm all right, but I'm trapped in a cave, and Vaxel and his creatures have me cornered."

Ayame tried to reassure her older brother.

"Just hang in there. We're on our way. We just..."

Then, they noticed a great distance from their cliff to another.

"...have to figure this out."

* * *

Out in space, Pidge was going imitations of a certain Paladin.

"My name is Keith. I am so emo. Shiro, you're our leader. What should we do?"

She then switched to a custom statue of Shiro, Lance, Jenny, Ayame, Hunk, Allura, and Coran before she spoke.

"We'll get through this if we work together. We're a team."

"Look at me! I'm Lance. Hey, is that a cute girl over there?"

"How am I an Altean? Heh! I'm just a teenager."

"Listen, everyone. We need to stick together."

"I don't feel good. The smell of this place makes me want to barf."

Paladins, please. We must defeat Zarkon."

"Blah, blah, blah! Crazy words. Mustache."

Then, after a moment of boredom that followed Pidge noticed the creatures huddled by the Green Lion.

"Huh? What is it?"

Then, the Green Lion flared awake as it roared.

"Hey, you're working again! Welcome back!"

Then, Pidge tripped through the trash nebula and uncovered a satellite in the process.

"It's a good thing this satellite broke my fall."

Then, she realized what it could do as far as getting their attention.

"Hey! Maybe I can find my friends before they find me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Sandra, & Pidge were eating from the plant inside the castle. As they did, Lance felt he was getting crowded by sllthe mermaids, remembering Jenny was his girlfriend.

"Easy, ladies. Give me some space."

"Your Royalness, if I may, this food is amazing. It's even better than the Balmeran cave bugs."

"I'm glad you enjoy it. It was picked fresh from the Baku Garden."

Having heard this, Sandra spat it out before she spoke.

"What? From the giver of life? How do we know it's okay with this?"

"It is merely how we are provided food."

"Well, in that case, I'm good."

"Well, I hope you enjoy the entertainment."

Then, they saw a curtain and saw a silhouette of a mermaid dancer.

"Whoa."

However, when the curtain opened, it revealed a squid on another bigger one, earning Lance's disgust and Sandra's laughter.

"Ha-ha."

"So, about us getting in contact with our friends, how can you help us?"

"Please, let's discuss that after the dance."

Sandra reiterated the issue as she avoided the gaze.

"But this is serious. If we don't find our friends, the universe won't be safe from Zarkon. Then you won't be safe or warm from him."

Having heard this, Queen Luxia's eyes widened before she shook her head before repeating his name.

"Did you say... Zarkon?"

"Yes. And we really need your help."

Then, Luxia nodded to her before she spoke to the dancer.

"Please. You may stop."

Then, Hunk was relieved for her to get back to the task at hand.

"Finally."

Oh, man. I kinda wanted to see that."

Then, Luxia spoke to them.

"Follow me."

Then, she brought the three Paladins to a clam shell containing a device.

"It has been many years since we have activated the energy beacon. During that time... I was controlled."

This made the group confused about her.

"Controlled? By who?"

"Zarkon. His witch sent the Baku here to harvest us. We are its food source, and I..."

She then paused in horror as she realized what she'd done to her people.

"I fed them to it."

"Wait... so you were gonna mind control us too?"

"I wasn't myself back then. But, it is thanks to Sandra that I've come to my senses."

"Really? Just by talking to her?"

Sandra then smiled to herself as she spoke.

"I have a knack for breaking hypnosis. I know how to wake people up, metaphorically and literally."

Then, the ground began to shake violently before the Baku Garden revealed itself to be a giant underwater worm as it roared before Hunk spoke.

"Did you wake that thing up, Sandy?"

"The Baku. It's realized we're not controlled."

"We have to get to our lions and take it out."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the cave, Jenny stumbled upon a section of the cave that glowed in rainbow colors. At the center of it was an purple-indigo anthropomorphic being that walked toward her as Jenny somehow knew what it was called.

"The Shimmer. So, you're the one who guided me here?"

Then, the Shimmer spoke to her.

"The shadows of the abyss are like the petals of a monstrous flower that shall blossom within the skull and expand the mind beyond what any man can bear."

Then, the Shimmer tapped Jenny's forehead, causing her to witness events in the future ranging from Zarkon in his new armor combating Voltron to Kaecilius overflowing with Chaotic Quintessence as his eyes flared red with a deranged smile on an abandoned planet. Then, Jenny saw Ayame and Xaira confronting each other in a dark realm of space that seemed to be another realm before the flash was over as she stumbled back, hyperventilating from the rush. Then, she remembered to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly enough before noticing the Shimmer had vanished. In its place was the White Lion in a silver barrier.

"No way..."

* * *

In the wormhole, Coran was now a toddler and Babak a young man.

"Let's check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this worm goes. I hungy."

"I know you're hungry, but we don't have anything to eat, okay?"

Then, Allura noticed Coran hopping on the control panel.

"Coran, no! That's not a toy. You're going to break the Castle and everything will stop!"

Then, she had another idea.

"Wait a second. Perhaps we can simply stop the Castle from moving."

However, the young Coran had other plans as he hopped on it more.

"No! Mine!"

Coran bit Allura's arm in the process before Babak caught him.

"Gotcha!"

Then, Allura shut down the Castle.

"I've shut down all the power."

However, the continuing travel from the Castle proved it didn't work before the young Coran threw a tantrum.

"My control panel!"

He then cried as they ran into the void, turning Coran into a baby and Babak into a toddler.

"I know, I know. Who wants to check the Rift Exit Positioning Monitor to see where this wormhole is taking us? You do, that's who."

Zaltron then spoke to the Princess.

"We must find a solution before there's nothing left of our comrades."

Then, Coran spat out his pacifier before he spoke.

"Poopies."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the desolate world, Keith and Ayame looked at the geyser before looking to the cliff as he repeated what Shiro told him before.

"Patience yields focus."

"That really stayed with you, didn't it?"

"You've given me some good advice. If it wasn't for you, my life would have been a whole lot different."

"Yeah. You wouldn't have crashed a flying lion on an alien planet and be stuck with little hope of rescue. So, you're welcome."

Ayame sensed what he was trying to do and didn't approve of it.

"That wasn't funny, Takashi."

Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood."

"We'll talk about it when this is over."

Then, Keith and Ayame got in their positions before she spoke.

"You ready?"

"Ready when you are."

Then, Keith sliced the chunk of ground, causing a geyser to erupt from it, launching them to the other cliff before it came apart, forcing Ayame to hold onto Keith before he used his jet pack to boost them up higher before grabbing onto the edge.

"Keith! Ayame!"

"We're fine, Takashi!"

"We're on our way."

"Good, because these guys just started digging."

As he told them of this, the creatures dig through the cave-in with Vaxel laughing.

"Well, well. Looks like someone has finally hit rock bottom."

Then, Ayame rode on Keith's back as he flew with his jetpack while she spoke.

"See anything?"

"Not yet."

Then, he found the Black Lion in the ground before chuckling.

"Shiro, we have a visual on the Black Lion."

Then, the creatures succeeded in digging before pulling Shiro out and chucking him to the wall. Then, Vaxel moved in to attack before he slammed his fist to the ground while Shiro used his arm to counter, only for Vaxel to counter it with his sword as the pain from his wound escalated. Vaxel saw this and took the opportunity to body slam him off of the cliff and send him tumbling, causing him to lose his helmet in the process. Shiro struggles to get up and run as Vaxel motioned the creatures to go after him. All the while, Keith tried to reach Shiro.

"Shiro, what happened?"

When there was no response, Ayame grew worried.

"Oh, no. You don't think..."

"No, Ayame. It won't come to that."

Then, Keith sped up his speed as he took off with Ayame in tow. When they'd reached the Black Lion, they noticed Vaxel and the creatures swarming over to him.

"Takashi..."

Then, Ayame turned to Keith before she spoke.

"You need to get the Black Lion working. I'll help Shiro hold them off."

"Alright."

Then, Ayame slid on the edge of the cliff as Keith tried to connect with the Black Lion.

"I know I'm not Shiro, but he's in trouble. We need to help him."

Then, Ayame prepared two dark purple orbs in her hands before she fired them at the creatures, forcing them to run away, much to Vaxel's anger.

"Where are you going?! Attack! Attack!"

Then, Ayame landed by Shiro and looked to see if he was alright, but found he was unconscious.

"No..."

Then, Vaxel grew surprised to see Ayame.

"Well, isn't this a surprise. A visit from Zarkon's progeny. How quaint."

Ayame was about to retaliate before she saw her hands with dark purple orbs before she came to the realization and had to face the truth. At the same moment, she remembered her experiences, good and bad, on Earth and out.

"They're right. I am Zarkon's daughter... but that doesn't make me who I am. I'll make sure you pay for everything you've done to Takashi."

"You mean Kuron? He's been a failure since he was first captured. He was bound to be broken one day."

"Enough!"

Then, Ayame fired her blasts at Vaxel, forcing him to use his arm to defend himself as he got pushed back by a steady stream of her dark blast. He grunted as he tried to push it back. Then, he saw an opening before he slammed his sword to the ground, causing a stream of Dark Quintessence to head towards her and strike her to the ground before the blast ceased as Vaxel drew his breath.

"You may be powerful. But without proper control, you're just not worth the trouble."

Then, he heard a roar as the Black Lion came down on him and attacked Vaxel with a laser, this time, disintegrating his body as he echoed his yell. Then, the Black Lion turned to Ayame who held Shiro in her arms. Then, she noticed that Keith was in the Black Lion as she smiled and spoke.

"What kept you?"

"I was a bit anxious for a moment."

Ayame giggled at his answer before looking at her older brother.

"Don't worry, Takashi. You'll pull through. I know you will."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the trash nebula, Pidge creature's collected an array of trash and wiring from the nebula and made it so that the satellite was in place.

"That ought to do it. Now let's see if we can get a hold of the Castle."

Pidge activated the satellite, but just when it seemed like it'll work, it failed, much to Pidge's dismay.

"No, no! What's wrong? We need to get out of here! We need to find our friends! Come on!"

Then, the Green Lion cane on and roared, recharging the satellite and providing a signal. Pidge saw this and grew relieved.

"Thanks. Now, let's see if this thing works."

With that, Pidge landed inside the Green Lion as she turned the monitors on.

"I hope the signal's strong enough to reach the Castle."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny got inside the White Lion and analyzed its specs. There, she noticed two bayard-like keyholes and came to a conclusion.

"Wait a tick. It's just like the Violet Lion."

Then, the White Lion purred before it spoke in the voice of a wise woman.

" _There shall be a fire that knows your name, and in the presence of the strangling fruit, its dark flame shall acquire every part of you."_

"A dark flame that knows my name?"

Then, Jenny received a vision with Ayame and Xaira separate before they became one and produced a dark purple aura around her before she spoke.

"Jenny..."

Then, Jenny was shocked out of her vision before she shook her head.

"Was that...? It can't be, can it?"

Then, Jenny reserved it for later.

"Well, no time to worry about it, now. It's time to head on back."

Then, she thrusted the levers, but found they couldn't work. She had an idea to remedy that.

"Let me rephrase. Can we head to the Castle, please?"

Then, the White Lion flared its eyes with a bright blue color before it roared and showed two coordinates on its radar as Jenny grew surprised.

"You already know where they are? That's awesome!"

Then, the White Lion entered the wormhole before it disappeared.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura was holding onto Coran while Zaltron held Babak's hand with his finger before she contemplated the situation.

"Coran, what are we going to do? If we hit the end of the tunnel again, you'll cease to exist."

Coran cooed as he was held by Allura who began to say her farewells.

"I'm sorry. You were like a second father to me."

However, Zaltron noticed a signal of hope.

"Allura. A signal has appeared from the outside."

"It's locked onto two coordinates!"

Then, Allura summoned her wormhole in place of the void.

"Come on. Come on!"

Then, they went in the blue wormhole before popping out of the dark tunnel and appearing in space.

"We made it!"

Then, Allura and Zaltron noticed Coran and Babak back to their old selves again.

"Mm? Mom?"

Allura dropped Coran from her hands before they noticed Pidge.

"You saved us, Pidge. We were stuck in a time loop."

"You got us out with this giant trash pile."

"It's a make-shift communications link that sends out the Green Lion's energy. It's similar to the energy that guided the Blue Lion home."

"Pidge, you're a genius."

"I know. But it wasn't just me. They helped."

Pidge turned to the creatures before Allura and Coran got to the task at hand.

"Excellent! Let's go get the rest of the Paladins."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Sandra, and Hunk were fighting the Baku attacking the castle as Hunk was having difficulty and Lance was improving rapidly.

"That thing's too quick for me. I can't hit it! My Lion's not very good in water."

"Really? My Lion's moving faster than ever. There's something about fighting underwater that's making me feel extra quick and powerful. And I think I know how to stop that thing."

"How?"

"We gotta stop shooting where the creature is and start shooting where the creature's gonna be."

Then, Lance targeted where the Baku would be and fired a white light near it before it hit its mark, hurting it and infuriating it, causing it to go for the Blue Lion, who took off for the trench, leading the Baku away from the castle and causing it to get stuck. Then, he fired another white light at the mountain, causing a chunk of it to fall on the Baku, defeating it. As a result, Hunk and Sandra were impressed with its capabilities.

"That was fast."

"Yeah. Like, way faster than normal. Nice work!"

Later, they got acquainted with the mermaids, including Queen Luxia who was told of her latest adventures.

"You've given so much for this universe. I give you the best of luck."

Sandra smiled as she replied.

"Thanks, your majesty. Although, a way back would be nice."

With that, Queen Luxia agreed to it with a smile.

"Of course."

Then, she looked over to the Baku on the ground before she spoke to her with a grin.

"Oh, and, uh... can you do one more thing for me?"

* * *

At the desolate world, Shiro, Keith, and Ayame sat by a fireplace as he spoke.

"Thanks for saving me, guys."

"You'd have done the same for me."

"How's your wound?"

"My wound's great. It's getting bigger all the time."

That only made Ayame and Keith worried again.

"Remember what I said, Takashi? Don't even joke like that. You're terrible at it."

"Hang in there. When Allura, Babak, and Coran find us, they'll fix you right up."

"Keith, if I don't make it out of here, I want you to lead Voltron."

Both Keith and Ayame grew surprised at his request, but persisted in letting him rest nonetheless.

"Stop talking like that. You're gonna make it."

"Just get your rest. You more than earned this."

Then, Shiro complied as he let out a sigh and fell asleep. After which, Ayame turned to Keith and spoke to him.

"It's good that he's resting now. I honestly don't know if he'll pull through after what's happened."

"Me neither. But he's got to. He's your brother."

Then, to their surprise, they saw a White Lion hovering above them with Jenny

"Hi, guys! What's up?"

Keith and Ayame grew surprised before they smiled as the arrival of the Castle took place next following them as Babak spoke

"Let's get you guys out of here."

* * *

Later on, with all of the Paladins together, they were each caught up in all of the events they went through. Having been told of Jenny's experience, Lance grew surprised.

"Wow. Looks like we all missed a lot since then, huh?"

"Yep. But I still missed you, though."

This made Lance smile a bit before she spoke about what Sandra told her.

"Although... Sandy told me you guys saw a planet of mermaids."

This made Lance panic a bit as he spoke.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I didn't see any mermaids."

However, to ease him, Jenny only smiled at him before she spoke.

"It's okay. I just thought it would've been cool to see one for myself. That's all."

"Oh. Uh... okay."

Then, Jenny noticed Ayame looking at Shiro as he recuperated in the sleep chamber pod before she walked up and spoke to her.

"Hey, Ayame?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got something I need to tell you. And I have a feeling it's really important."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Zarkon's Command Center, Zarkon called in Kaecilius, Komar, Thace, and Prorok to him.

"Explain to me how you let Voltron escape."

"Perhaps it was a mechanical failure, sire. Haggar boosted the solar barrier's power beyond its normal limits."

Haggar knew differently, given the evidence found.

"This was no mechanical failure. The two sentries That were guarding the barrier control were found destroyed. This was clearly sabotage."

"Lord Zarkon, I will start an investigation immediately. I will not rest until the perpetrators are captured."

Then, Komar has a theory.

"Perhaps I can save months of investigation. If I may, Lord Zarkon?"

"Proceed."

"Who has been trying to chisel away Voltron from you this entire time? Who sent his fleet out without your orders to get Voltron? I'll give you one answer: Prorok!"

Prorok grew alarmed at such an accusation.

"Sire, no! I-I would never do that."

"Wouldn't you?"

Then, he used his siphon to play a recorded message from him.

"I'll capture Voltron on my own."

That shocked Prorok even more before Komar spoke to him.

"So, what'll it be? Innocent or guilty?"

Zarkon made a decision with his words.

"Get rid of him."

Then, the soldiers began carrying Prorok away.

"No! I'm innocent!"

As Prorok got dragged away, Kaecilius spoke with Haggar.

"So, what is to become of him?"

"Before we dispose of him, the Druids will find out all that he knows. Then, he will receive a punishment worse than death."

Then, Zarkon spoke to Thace.

"Lieutenant Thace. You are now placed under Kaecilius' charge. You will obey his orders without question."

"Vrepit Sa."


	15. Shiro's Escape

**Chapter 14:** Shiro's Escape

At the Castle, Shiro was recovering inside a pod as Jenny was bringing up to date on how she found the White Lion to Ayame, who is now wearing a black off-shoulder shirt with sleeves that reached up to her forearm along with a white strapped crop top over it. The shirt had a black line pattern in the middle. She was also wearing a black choker and two black and white bracelets on both of her wrists. Her top was tucked in with a white belt and she wore black pants with black and white boots.

"You really found the White Lion?"

"Yep."

"And what about Kumiko after that?"

"I... don't really know. I helped her change her mind, I know that much. The rest is up to her from here on out, though."

"Well, I hope she can get by."

"You and me both. But that's not the strangest part. When the White Lion was speaking to me, I saw... a vision. There was you and another version of you, only more Galra-like. They came together into one being and... a voice in that vision called you... 'The Dark Flame.'"

"The Dark Flame?"

"Yeah. And she knew my name. You think it's talking about Xaira?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Then, the girls heard Shiro grunting and grew concerned.

"Takashi..."

"Is he okay?"

Babak and Allura gave them the lowdown of the situation.

"According to the biometric scans, he's physically intact. But his mind is another story."

"It's quite normal, though. Sometimes, the healing process can cause involuntary brain wave reactions."

Belle had an idea of what it meant for him as the torture continued.

"You mean he's having a nightmare?"

"Or a vision."

"He just got blasted by a space witch, attacked by a Galra general, and mauled by giant lizards. What dream could be worse than that?"

"There's an easy answer for that, Keith. An event that has either already or will have taken place that you wish you'd forget seeing."

Babak couldn't be more right as Shiro was witnessing his own event.

* * *

 _At the Operation room, Komar was supervising Shiro's operation as he was trying to break free._

" _No, no! No. You took my hand. What more do you want from me?"_

" _Your life."_

 _Then, Komar injected the sedative into Shiro before an unknown Galra stopped him._

" _Stop! I want him awake enough to feel this."_

" _Don't you dare tell me how to operate. Lest you forget, I'm in charge here."_

 _Then, the Galra retaliated against Komar by knocking him to a wall and clubbing him on the head with his own siphon, knocking Komar unconscious before he untied Shiro._

" _Listen to me. We don't have much time."_

 _Shiro couldn't keep his eyes open before the Galra slapped him across the face._

" _Wake up! Zarkon and Kaecilius have already located the Blue Lion of_ _Voltron_ _on your planet, Earth. You must get it before they do."_

" _What are you doing?"_

" _I've planted a bomb to cover your escape. Find Lapis and get to a pod, now."_

 _Who are you?"_

" _I am Ulaz. Now, come on! Zarkon and Kaecilius will know that I released you, so I must disappear. I've already freed Lapis and sent her to a pod. If you survive, go to the coordinates on your arm. The Blade of Marmora is with you."_

" _Why are you helping me?"_

" _As a fighter and a leader, you give hope. Hurry! Earth needs you. We all do."_

 _Then, Ulaz went out of sight while Shiro ran the halls in search of a pod. Along the way, he found Lapis who kept her weapon trained on him until she realized who it was._

" _Shiro."_

 _Then, Lapis helped him up before he spoke to her._

" _Ulaz said he sent you to a pod."_

" _I didn't stay there, though. What about your friend?"_

 _Then, as if on cue, Belle spoke up._

" _Right behind you."_

 _Shiro saw her and ran toward her._

" _Belle!"_

 _Then, Lapis noticed her eyes with purple irises._

" _Wait, Shiro. It's not her."_

 _Then, Shiro stopped himself halfway and saw her eyes as well._

" _Who are you, really?"_

 _Then, Belle began to show a wicked smile._

" _Looks like I couldn't trick you. Guess you'll have to call me... 'Kren.'"_

 _Then, Kren fired dark purple lightning from her synthetic arm at Shiro, only for her to miss as Lapis shoved her aside._

" _We have to go."_

 _Then, they took off before Kren spoke to Kaecilius in a mental link._

" _They're escaping. Should I stop them?"_

" _No. Let them be. Once we have the Blue Lion, it'll make no difference."_

 _Then, Shiro and Lapis found a pod as they turned behind them to see the drones advancing toward them before they opened fire._

" _This isn't good."_

 _As they fired, Lapis and Shiro made a break for the pod as it was about to close on them. However, when they got in, the drones tried to break in before Lapis clutched onto the doors and pulled hard to close them, slicing a drone's arm off in the process. Then, as it took off, Shiro and Lapis fell to the floor and the both of them took their breath before they fell unconscious._

* * *

When Shiro woke up, he found Keith, Ayame, Jenny, and Belle looking at him.

"Shiro."

"You're okay."

"Can you not do that to us again?"

"What happened?"

Shiro: "I've... I've got something to tell you. When I was captured, there was a Galra in that ship who freed me and Lapis."

Hearing this, Allura and Azix grew surprised at their own pace.

"What? A Galra freed you?"

"By chance, what was his name?"

"Ulaz."

When Ayame heard his name, she remembered the favor Xarnas asked her to do and looked at the Luxite Blade given to her.

At Zarkon's command center, Prorok was in a tomb as Haggar commenced a ritual.

"You know I'm innocent! I would never betray Zarkon! Kaecilius is weakening the empire!"

"You misunderstand. I'm giving you the opportunity to serve the empire. You will have the honor of personally bringing down Voltron."

Then, Haggar thrusted her hand towards Prorok, earning his agonizing scream before he fell silent and the robot with small arms and a large jaw below its two yellow eyes activated.

* * *

At the Castle, all personnel within it were called to the data room for identifying the coordinates as they continued the conversation.

"I'm not finding any coordinates in here. Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?"

"I'm positive. Ulaz helped us escape."

Allura felt it to be suspicious.

"And he was Galra?"

Lapis can easily see her distrust.

"You don't sound too happy about that."

"You know you cannot trust them."

Jenny then spilled the beans on what they found out.

"You must have trusted them once. Zarkon was the original Black Paladin, wasn't he?"

"That was then, and this is now."

Hearing that revelation, Lance grew surprised before Jenny explained and Keith gave out a few details.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't see that coming, either."

"Didn't you see how he stole the Black Lion right out from under Shiro? Or that he could do that cool stuff with his bayard? Shiro's bayard? You know, the black one?"

"Why didn't you just tell us the truth about Zarkon?"

Allura tried to justify herself in the matter.

"I wanted to protect you from the dark history of the Paladins so that you would have a chance to bond with the lions on your own. You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon."

"Yeah, well, the Black Lion might have a different take on the matter."

Then, Lapis looked at the code and recognized it.

"Hold on. I know this code. Let me just extract it. Can I see that, Pidge?"

"Uh, sure."

Then, Lapis entered the code and got a thorough coordinate location.

"Got it. The coordinates lead to the Thaldycon system."

"Then that's where we're headed."

Keith, Lapis, Belle, Ayame,and Jenny have their two cents about this.

"Shiro, are you sure you can trust this? I mean, after all the Galra have done to you... They... they took your arm..."

"And controlled my father."

"And wiped my mind."

"And experimented on me."

"And made me look like a grandma."

"It's worth the risk. Ulaz helped us escape. If we can locate some allies in our fight against Zarkon and Kaecilius, especially ones from his own side, we might just find a way to take them down."

Allura reluctantly agreed to it for the time being before Lapis stated the importance of this.

"We can check the location, but I do not like this."

"Me neither. But if there's a chance that my own race is actually doing something about Zarkon and Kaecilius... we have to take it."

* * *

Later, the Castle went to the Thaldycon system, only to find a field of giant crystals.

"Well, this is it. No sign of any activity at all, living or otherwise."

"Can we get in there to take a closer look?"

Coran felt Shiro's suggestion to be unwise.

"I don't want to bring the Castle any closer. Those Xanthorium chunks contain highly unstable nitrate salts. Even bumping one of them can blow us straight to Wozblay."

Knowing that there must be more to this location, Azix checked with Babak again.

"Are you positive these are the coordinates?"

"These are the coordinates Lapis gave us."

Then, Jenny began to feel an overpowering sense that there's more.

"I don't know. For some reason, I can't help but feel that there's more to this."

Allura, however, just wanted to get on with the day.

"We should get out of here. We've checked it out, but now, it's time to move on."

As for Ayame, she knew something was up.

"I'd rather wait."

"But why?"

"Because I think there's more to what's in front of us, too. Trap or not, we need to know what's happening."

* * *

At the Command Center, Haggar walked up to Zarkon and spoke to him.

"Sire, Prorok's transformation is complete. We only need to know where to send him."

Later, Zarkon was again commencing the ritual from his attack on Voltron.

"Now, reach out with your mind!"

During the ritual, Zarkon seemed to have traveled in space all the way to the Castle in the Thaldycon system before he fell to the ground and groaned as he returned to reality.

"I have the coordinates to launch the beast."

* * *

At the Castle, an unknown being triggered an alarm that set everyone at high alert, Allura most of all as she stated her disbelief after Coran and Lance.

"There's an intruder in the Castle!"

"How could someone just sneak aboard the ship?"

"I knew coming here was a mistake!"

Ayame only saw the bright side of it.

"Maybe, but he's proof that there is something going on. Where is he?"

Allura looked at the Castle levels and found the intruder on the monitor.

"There he is. Level five."

Given what they know, Ayame relayed the ideal strategy.

"We could cut him off there."

"Everyone, suit up."

Then, the Paladins swarmed to the intruder at Level Five in their uniforms, save for Ayame, who was still in her casual outfit. Lance was the first to confront the intruder.

"I got him."

"Keep eyes on him, Lance. We're all headed toward you."

Then, the intruder turned to see Lance.

"Hold it right there!"

Then, Lance fired his shotgun at the intruder, who evaded his fire as he went over them.

"Careful, he's faster than an angry klanmüirl! But he can jump like a sprightly globinheffer!"

"Coran, you're not helping!"

"Somebody's as mad as a wet chüper. Coming your way, number five!"

Then, Pidge noticed the intruder and fired her bayard at him, only for him to flip and catch the line.

"We got him!"

Then, the intruder dragged them along as he ran. With that, Lance arrived just in time to see Pidge being dragged.

"He's dragging Pidge away!"

"Come back here!"

Hunk overheard the commotion and grew alert.

"Huh?"

However, he failed to hit the target as it went by him and ended up hitting near Pidge.

"Hunk!"

"Huh? Sorry!"

Hunk followed pursuit as Coran criticized him.

"Oh, Hunk failed the team, guys."

"Hey!"

Then, it was Keith's turn to ambush him.

"All right, it's up to Keith now."

"Copy that. I'm ready."

Then, Keith ran through the hall in hopes of intercepting the intruder.

"Ooh, this is exciting! He's got a sword. One young Paladin, one seemingly indestructible foe..."

When Keith got to the corner, he found Pidge screaming as she was dragged off by the intruder, whom Lance was pursuing. As Keith caught up with him, he attempted to attack him twice but failed.

"Swing and a miss! Oh, another swing and a miss! He can't touch him! He's too fast!"

Then, Pidge grunted as she pulled on the cable, causing the intruder to suddenly jolt back and fall to the floor before Keith lunged at him and clashed his sword with his blade, which he took notice of and grew perplexed before the intruder knocked his sword away.

"He knocked his bayard out of his hands! It's on the ground!"

Then, Jenny shouted to the intruder.

"Hey, mystery guy!"

The intruder turned toward Jenny, who got her chain blade ready as she smirked.

"Watt's up?"

Then, she wrapped her chain blade around him before shocking him with its electric capabilities before it proved ineffective as he used his blade to cut it off of him, much to Jenny's disappointment.

"Hey! No fair!"

Then, Sandra focused in on the intruder from another hall before she got a lock on him.

"Gotcha."

Then, the intruder noticed Sandra just as she made her shot, barely hitting his armor before he tossed Keith at her, colliding him with Sandra. Then, Keith got up and tried to attack back, only for him to grab his arm and use the momentum to chuck him to the other Paladins before Belle moved in and clashed her energy sword with his blade, both at equal strength. Belle broke away and moved in close to find an opening, only for the intruder to knee her in the stomach and did a piledriver to smash her to the floor. Then, Ayame walked towards the intruder before summoning her blade given to her by Xarnas and held it by his neck as he held his own blade to her face. During the standstill, Shiro, Zaltron, Lapis, Allura, Coran, and Azix arrived at the scene before the intruder saw the blade she held. In response, he drew his blade back while Ayame did the same. Then, the mask bore a blue luminescent ripple before it revealed his face. It had a short white mohawk with yellow eyes and pointy ears. Shiro and Lapis immediately recognized him.

"Ulaz?"

Then, in an instant, Allura slammed him to the wall.

"Who are you?"

Seeing him as well, Azure reassured his allegiance.

"Release him, Princess. He's one of the Galra you can trust."

"And how would you know?"

Lapis made the answer easier for her.

"Because he helped me and Shiro escape."

With that, Ulaz turned to Shiro and Lapis before he spoke.

"You've come."

Zaltron then stepped forth and spoke to his companion.

"We have reason to believe that you've requested our assistance from the coordinates you've presented us."

"Of course. And with the legendary Zaltron, it appears I'm all the luckier."

Then, Ulaz looked toward Ayame.

"Ayame... look how you've grown."

"Huh? How'd you know my name? I can understand Shiro and Lapis, but how do you know me?"

"You were only a child back then. Back when I've rescued you."

Ayame's eyes then widened in shock before looking at her blade and then to Ulaz.

* * *

Later, Ulaz sat at the couch, his hands and feet handcuffed, much to Ayame's discomfort.

"Is this really necessary, Allura?"

"I will not have some quiznaking Galra soldier on the bridge of my ship!"

Hearing the tone in her voice, Sandra grew surprised.

"Yikes, Allura. I get that you're mad, but take it easy with the language, will you?"

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already."

Having been through her share of brainwashing, Belle took it seriously.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"I'm not trying to win your trust. I'm trying to win a war. And thanks to Shiro and Lapis, we're closer than we've ever been. Our gamble on you paid off better than we could've imagined."

Shiro and Lapis then spoke of what he told them last time they met.

"When you released us, you also mentioned that there were others working with you."

"You said that they're called the Blade of Marmora, too."

"Yes."

This made Hunk nervous, earning Lance's disapproval.

"Uh, others? Are they here?"

"Hunk, can you try not to act so scared around the chained-up prisoner? It makes us seem a little lame."

"I am alone on this base."

This confused Ayame as she spoke to Ulaz next.

"What base? There's nothing but Xanthorium clusters out here."

"The base is hidden. Now that I know it is Shiro, Lapis, and Ayame that have come, you are welcome to our outpost. It lies dead ahead."

Pidge was still confused at present with the location.

"Behind all the Xanthorium clusters?"

"No. Right in front of it, in a hidden pocket of space-time."

Allura spoke to Coran and Jenny in a fit of disbelief.

"Coran, Jenny, are you hearing this?"

At the main hangar, Jenny and Coran took notice of the change.

"Actually, he's right. I can see it."

"Me, too. I am picking up some kind of anomy on the screen. I suppose it could be a cloaked base."

"Just fly straight to the center of the Xanthorium cluster. You will see."

Babak gave his two cents from a speaker.

"Hah! You really believe we'll blow this Castle to pieces just because you say so?!"

Shiro reminded them of the importance of the task.

"We came out here to find some answers. Are we going to turn back now?"

Keith, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk felt it best as they spoke to him.

"You know I trust you, Shiro, but this doesn't feel right."

"And you know, I hate to agree with Keith, but it's a big fat ditto from me."

"The Galra could've implanted fake memories in you and Belle's heads. That's probably how Belle got under Kaecilius' control."

"Oh, come on, that would be so evil, which, of course, they are. But they have to come up with some molecular level storage unit, which their arms do have. But, to be linked up to memory, it would need a direct pathway to their brains, which... yeah."

"Ulaz freed us. Without him, we wouldn't be here."

For a while, there was a moment of silence as Allura looked to Ulaz before she sighed.

"Fine. Slow and steady, Coran. Head for the Xanthorium cluster."

"Yes, Princess. Beginning approach."

Then, Coran slowly accelerated the Castle towards the cluster before an alarm came on.

"Impact imminent in five... four... three... two..."

However, at the very last second, space began warping and turning into a rainbow nebula in hyperspeed, surprising Coran and Jenny.

"Well, that's something."

"No way..."

Hearing their surprise, Allura spoke to them.

"What is it?"

"Putting it up on the screens."

Then, the group saw what Coran was seeing in wonder and surprise as Pidge and Hunk spoke.

"Amazing. They're folding space."

"It's like a space taco. Or a space calzone. Or a space-time soup dumpling and were the soup. Hey, is there a cafeteria in this thing?"

Sandra only sighed at his love of cuisine at times like this.

"Oh, Hunk."

Then, they've arrived at a large base with a machine working in a triangle producing purple lightning toward the center.

"Welcome to the Blade of Marmora Communications Base Thaldycon. Now, if you'll free me, I need to send a message to the leadership. They need to know I've made contact with Voltron and Zaltron."

"Go with him and keep an eye on him. I'm staying here."

Hunk and Pidge were more than ecstatic to go, however.

"Ooh! Can we go?"

"I want to see how they make the space pocket!"

"You guys go ahead. I'll hang back and protect Jenny and the Princess."

This earned a groan from Allura while Jenny spoke.

"Oh, that's nice."

* * *

Outside, Keith, Ayame, Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, Sandra, Belle, Lapis, Azix, and Zaltron went along with Ulaz to the base.

"This is the gravity chamber that creates the space-time fold that hides the station. It was built by a reclusive genius engineer named Slav. His technology allows the Blade of Marmora to remain hidden while we work to take down the Galra Empire. Zarkon would do anything to get his hands on this technology."

Taking in the info, Belle and Ayame spoke to Ulaz.

"So there are Galra out there who weren't loyal to Zarkon?"

"I don't know how that makes me feel better, but somehow... it does."

Lapis then spoke to Ulaz on the matter herself.

"So, what started the Blade of Marmora in the first place?"

"We thought expanding the Galra Empire would bring stability. We learned too late, a tyrant doesn't seek stability, only power."

"There's always a reason for power, though, isn't there? I mean, he can't be evil to begin with, right?"

"Truth be told, I never gave it any thought."

"Well, I have. From what father told me, he went in a forbidden part of the universe to save his wife. At the end, he wasn't the same, seeing as he failed to help her."

At the ship, Keith and Ayame looked around the ship and saw its gravity generator active as Ulaz spoke.

"With our members working on the inside, planning coordinated attacks with Voltron, we may finally have a chance."

Hunk spoke up to review what he's been told.

"So, you have agents working within Zarkon's ranks?"

"How do you think you got away from Zarkon in that last fight? Do you think those shields at the command center went down on their own? We've got people risking their lives in this war, just like you."

Pidge, knowing they'd provide a good search, spoke with him about two certain prisoners.

"If you have people on the inside, can they let me know where my family is? They were taken the same time Shiro and Belle were."

"I knew others from Earth were captured. I never saw them, but I have some records of Galra prisoners here. I can transmit them to your ship."

Then, Ayame and Keith noticed his blade before the latter spoke.

"What's that weapon you carry?"

Ulaz knew what he was talking about and presented it.

"It's a ceremonial blade that each member of our order carries."

"Hmm, nice."

Then, Ayame took her turn to speak.

"I have that blade, too. Thanks to Xarnas."

Ulaz widened his eyes at the mention of his name before she went on.

"He told me to tell you he's paid for his mistakes. What did he mean?"

Ulaz hung his head down before he spoke.

"A long time ago, Xarnas gifted that blade to Zarkon as an act of treachery against the Blade of Marmora before he passed it on to his daughter as a gift."

Ayame widened her eyes in shock before she grew saddened.

"I get it. Sorry I asked."

"You've nothing to be sorry for, child."

Then, an alarm blared, much to the group's surprise. Ulaz looked at the Monitor and saw the metal Prorok propelling toward them.

"Oh, no! You were tracked!"

"What? Us?"

Keith grew suspicious at this while Lapis figured it out.

"If Zarkon knows we're here, it's because you ratted us out."

"I'm not so sure it was Ulaz, Keith. When we were getting Jenny's Quintessence back, we found a dark rift hovering above it. Maybe Kaecilius gave him some intel."

"Well, whatever happened, that thing found us."

As Prorok moved in, Hunk tried to decide on what to call it as Shiro spoke next on the important task for the moment.

"It's another one of Zarkon's robot... beast... robeasts!"

"We have to get back to the ship."

Before they could leave, Ulaz handed Shiro a small flash drive.

"Shiro, wait. These are instructions on how to reach the Blade of Marmora headquarters. Before you go there, find out how Zarkon and Kaecilius are tracking you. If you lead him there, our entire underground network, everything we've spent centuries building will be lost."

Outside, Zaltron, Sandra, Belle, Azix, Lapis, Keith, Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge went back to the ship as Jenny got a report.

"Bad news. Ulaz and the others were tracked."

Babak saw it coming and labeled it as betrayal.

"I knew he cannot be trusted!"

Shiro knew well enough of the situation, however as he contradicted Babak.

"It wasn't him."

"How can you be sure?"

Coran and Hunk focused on present issues over what led up to it.

"It doesn't matter now. What should we do?"

"Why can't we hide here in the space clam and wait for it to go away?"

Sandra knew the plan wouldn't work, considering they found it themselves.

"It doesn't work that way. If the Castle can detect anomalies like this, odds are, that robeast might do it, too."

With that, Shiro spoke to the team with Jenny replying back.

"Everyone get to your lions, but don't launch. We'll wait to see what this thing does. I don't want to risk fighting it if we don't have to."

"You got it, Chief."

Then, Jenny ran to her lion in the bay and went in.

Outside, Prorok has reached the clusters, but remained clueless about their location for the moment as Pidge spoke.

"We should be safe as long as we're hiding in the space pocket."

Then, Prorok opened his mouth before it sucked in the crystals and ate them up.

"He's drawing in the Xanthorium clusters."

Then, after filling up, he opened his mouth again, only to fire a dark red beam from his mouth, decimating some Xanthorium crystals as they braced impact. Then, Prorok scanned for an anomaly and found it as Pidge spoke while Shiro reigned them in.

"I think he knows we're here."

"Hold."

Then, he fired again, this time at the anomaly, and hit the Castle in the process, earning Coran and Babak's alarm.

"Direct hit! It definitely knows we're here!"

"Get the particle barrier up!"

Then, the Castle's defenses went up, placing a barrier to defend against the attacks just as Prorok prepared to strike again.

"He's readying another attack!"

Prorok opened his mouth and pulled the Castle in the process as Allura spoke.

"He's pulling us in as well, Paladins. I think it's time to launch!"

Shiro couldn't agree more on that.

Form Voltron!"

Then, the five Paladins formed their Voltron as Lapis utilized the Violet Voltron and both hit the robeast and knocked him back before it retaliated with rapid fire beams. In the process, it struck the gravity generator, exposing the Castle and Ulaz's ship.

"We're exposed! The space fold has been lowered!"

At Ulaz's ship, he worked on the craft, getting Ayame's notice.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting this ship out of here."

"When they need our help?"

"This isn't my fight, Ayame."

Ayame was shocked that Ulaz said those words after what he did for them before she began tensing her fist in anger.

"Not your fight? Not your fight?! Don't you dare say that it's not your fight! That ship has sailed the moment you freed us! My friends are out there, and you're just running away?! No! I won't have it!"

"Ayame, I..."

"I get that you have your duties, but without you, we won't be able to do ours and the universe will never be free. So you're helping us, whether you like it or not. I'm not asking."

Eventually, Ulaz admitted defeat before he accepted her proposal.

"Alright. What's the plan?"

Later, the ship took off and headed to the far edge as Jenny and Allura spoke.

"Well, there goes Ulaz."

"I knew we should never trust a Galra!"

Then, Ayame spoke to her on the transmission.

"Don't count him out just yet, Allura. I'm with him."

"Ayame? What are you—?"

"We've got a plan, guys. Takashi, do you think you can occupy him until we're ready?"

"We'll try. Fire lasers!"

Then, Voltron fired two lasers at Prorok, only for it to be ineffective other than bumping him away.

"Huh?"

Then, Prorok acted as a vacuum again as he sucked up the Xanthorium clusters while Pidge spoke of their situation.

"He's pulling in more ammo!"

When he's finished, Prorok began charging up again, forcing Shiro to tell the team to evacuate.

"Move, move, move!"

Then, Voltron barely got out of the way just as he fired, triggering countless explosions from the clusters and knocking Voltron off course.

"Lance, Hunk, give me full reverse thrusters!"

Voltron was able to stop itself from colliding, hovering just above a cluster before it got pulled in while Hunk spoke.

"This thing wants to eat us like we're a space taco!"

As Voltron struggled to break free, Lapis saw a window of opportunity and charged in.

"Hang on, guys! I'll make him back off!"

With that, the Violet Voltron fired an ion cannon from its chest and hit Prorok in the arm, forcing him to let go of Voltron as Keith spoke to her.

"Thanks, Lapis."

"You're welcome, Keith. But now what?"

Shiro knew very well how powerful the suction was and wanted to last longer.

"We've got to keep some distance between us and that robeast!"

"Ayame, if you've got a plan, you better do it now."

Fortunately, Ayame gave the good news.

"Don't worry. We've already figured out its weak point. Whenever he fills up on ammo, he stays in one place. If we could just counter with something destructive, it should do enough damage to that robeast."

Lance didn't find it helpful with the suction beam of Proknok's.

"Yeah, thanks for the tip. But how are we supposed to hurt it without it sucking us up?!"

Lapis thought she had a solution as she relayed it.

"I could use the ion cannon to take him down."

"And the clusters in the process. We can't risk that; we need to set specific coordinates where Prorok would be. Otherwise, it won't work."

Then, Prorok began firing bullets of dark red beams, to which Jenny noticed and got in the way inside the White Lion.

"Look out!"

Then, explosions were set off near the Voltron Team as Prorok moved in closer, only to be met with the White Lion before Jenny allowed it to summon its own jaw blade.

"You still seem kinda hungry. How about I take you on a little ride?"

Then, the White Lion impaled Prorok in his side with the jaw blade before it spun around and tossed him to the biggest Xanthorium cluster, enacting an explosion before the team looked on in wonder and amazement. However, that didn't last long as Prorok's dark red beam emerged and forced the White Lion to initiate its particle barrier. When it struck, it held no power over it as it continued onward, leaving Jenny impressed.

"Whoa! Where did the particle barrier come from?"

With that, Ayame gave the bad news.

"He's not staying still. Keep drawing out the fire!"

As this happened, Ulaz suddenly took Ayame by her arm and forced her into a pod, much to her concern.

"What are you doing?!"

"What is necessary."

With that, Ulaz set the pod to eject just as the beam had ceased and the White Lion soccer kicked the robeast farther away before it stopped midflight and began sucking up the clusters again, concerning Jenny before Ulaz spoke to her.

"Is that good?"

"Yes. Now go!"

Then, Ulaz's ship suddenly darted toward Prorok, much to the Paladin's surprise as Shiro spoke.

"Ulaz, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to take it down from the inside! I made sure Ayame got out of there safely!"

Hearing this, Ayame grew concerned for him.

"Ulaz, no! You don't have to do this!"

"Voltron is too valuable! The universe needs you."

Then, Ulaz's ship, along with its captain ended up swallowed by Prorok. For a moment, he was still. But then, he darted toward the Voltron Trio, making Jenny upset before Shiro spoke.

"What?! Come on!"

"Get ready!"

Then, suddenly, he froze before it ended up crushing itself to nothing as Pidge and Ayame spoke.

"The ship opened up the space pocket from inside! It's folding in on itself!"

"Just like we planned. Now we need to get back."

Then, the group managed to back away from the robeast who imploded in a purple light, taking some clusters with it, leaving a hole in the field before Hunk and Keith spoke.

"They did it!"

"You saved us, Ayame."

Ayame and Shiro felt dismal about it, however.

"No. Ulaz saved us."

"He's... gone."

* * *

At the Castle, Ayame and Shiro watched out the window in the Castle. At that same moment, Keith walked in and spoke to Ayame.

"Sorry we doubted Ulaz, guys. He saved all our lives."

"Well... I was a bit wrong about him, too. When he told me he'd rescued me and Shiro, I thought he was the Galra that wouldn't run away. But, when we got exposed, he... he tried to run away. Then, I told him. I wasn't gonna let him run away when we still needed him."

"So, you convinced him to help?"

"Mm-Hmm. Thanks to that, we're all alive, but now..."

Shiro felt sad for a different reason.

"I just have so many questions."

Just as Allura walked in, Keith was wondering about a certain problem.

"Do you really think Zarkon and Kaecilius are really tracking us?"

"We cannot know for sure. Only Ulaz knew our whereabouts."

Ayame felt her lack of faith should've been fixed by now with what they went through.

"You don't really think Ulaz gave us up? After he just sacrificed himself for us?"

Keith couldn't agree more with Ayame.

"Yeah! Maybe Zarkon and Kaecilius found this place on their own! They've probably been searching for the Blade of Marmora!"

Allura placed her hand on Ayame's shoulder before speaking onward.

"It's clear that the loss of Ulaz has caused you great concern, but regardless of how Zarkon and Kaecilius located us, we cannot stay here any longer. It isn't safe."

Keith could agree with her for a different reason.

"We should meet up with the rest of Ulaz's group, finish what he started."

"No. We're not going to the headquarters until we figure out how Zarkon and Kaecilius found us. We can't risk losing the only allies we have in this war."

* * *

Later, Keith looked at his blade as he unrolled the paper around it, revealing the same symbol as that from Ulaz's weapon. Ayame noticed this and grew curious.

"How'd you get that?"

"I've had it with me for as long as I can remember. I don't really know who gave it to me."

"Maybe you could ask Ulaz when we see him."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Then, Ayame went to sleep on the bottom bunk beside Keith.

"Good night, Keith."

"Good night, Ayame."

Then, they drifted off to sleep.


	16. The Dark Flame

**A/N: Hello, everyone. This is a new chapter that gets to be a little bit darker, so it's not for the faint of heart. BTW, Moktal, a new character to be displayed in this chapter will be portrayed by J.B. Blanc. You have been warned.**

 **Chapter 15:** The Dark Flame

At the Castle, Ayame was curled up in a ball as she was having a nightmare with her hearing a feminine voice blended in with Zarkon, Kaecilius, and Haggar's voices as the witch and warlock spoke in unison.

" _I plead guilty."_

" _I have no more use for her."_

" _May the Goddess of the Universe have mercy on your soul."_

As purple lightning struck, the feminine voice screamed before Ayame was startled awake with tears coming down her eyes as she spoke.

"M-Mom?"

As she remembered the painful memory, Ayame held her head down before she gave a quiet cry just before a knock on the door came before Ayame spoke.

"C-Come in."

When the door opened, Jenny saw that Ayame was already awake and was crying tears, evident by the liquid on her cheeks before she felt sorry for Ayame.

"Hey. Are you doing okay?"

Ayame swiftly wiped her tears away before fixing her voice as she spoke.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Jenny, however, thought she was missing her friends as she spoke.

"You can be honest with me, Ayame. You know that, right?"

Hearing this, Ayame tensed at the thought of what would most likely occur if she knew the truth about her heritage.

"That doesn't mean I want to be. I have secrets for a reason, just like everyone else."

"Maybe. But is it really worth it if they're eating you alive?"

"Just leave me alone, okay? I'm not in the mood."

This made Jenny remember someone else having a hard time as she spoke.

"I get it. My sis isn't exactly taking her situation well, either."

This got Ayame concerned as she spoke.

"You mean Belle?"

"Yep. Ever since she's been saved from the Galra, she... well... she's trying to adjust to her new arm and all. And with everything they did to everyone else... it's only getting worse."

"Worse how?"

* * *

At the training room, Belle, who wore a silver top and black jeans, was fighting against an Altean drone in hand-to-hand combat as she gave grunts of frustration with every punch she threw. When the drone managed to throw its mechanical fist and cut her cheek, she grew angry as her eyes turned yellow with purple irises and used her robot arm to grab its face and crush it like a soda can, only for her eyes to change back as she realized that she failed to rein in her power before she tossed the robot in frustration and punched a wall as she sat down, unaware that Jenny and Ayame were watching from the control hub of the training room before the latter spoke.

"What's happening to her?"

Jenny explained Belle's story as she motioned to the pile of drones that were destroyed by her.

"See, the Galra didn't just take away her arm. They took her freedom, her limits, and maybe... a part of herself. Since then, she's been training really hard just to work out her issues. And, well, you can see how well that went."

Seeing this, Ayame grew even more fearful than she ever was about her identity before she spoke to Jenny.

"Does she know that not all Galra are bad?"

"You'd think so, right? We did meet Lapis, Azix, and Zaltron after all. But I guess her scar didn't go away. I don't think it ever will at this rate."

Ayame sighed sadly at this before Jenny spoke up.

"Wait. If you won't talk to me about your problems... maybe you can talk with my sis!"

Hearing the words that came out of her mouth, Ayame grew extremely afraid as she spoke and walked out the door.

"What?! No! No way! I—"

"Come on, Ayame. My sis isn't that scary."

"I'm not taking any chances!"

"What's the matter with you?! It's not like you're Galra!"

As Jenny said those words, Ayame stopped in her tracks before she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks. I really hope it'll help you two."

"Yeah. You and me both."

A short while after, Belle finished off another drone with a slice in the middle with her energy blade from the synthetic gauntlet before Ayame stepped in and tried to speak, nervously as to how Belle would react.

"Uh... hey, Belle. Are you okay?"

When she turned around to see her, Belle gave a small, sad smile as she spoke.

"Hey, Ayame. Can it wait? I'm trying to... calm myself down."

Ayame then gave her the reality of the situation.

"Not likely. If I leave, Jenny would just drag me back here."

This made Belle realize the reason Ayame was here.

"Oh. Jenny put you up to this, didn't she?"

With that, the two looked up before Jenny gave two thumbs-up in an attempt to let them know it'll work out as Ayame spoke.

"Look, do you want to... talk about anything?"

"Honestly, no chance in Wozblay. But even if I say that, Jenny's still gonna try to fix it. So, might as well..."

With that, the two of them sat down before she spoke.

"Well, I just remembered a few more things last night. And none of it sat well with me."

"How so?"

"Well, the first thing I remembered was after we defeated Myzax."

* * *

 _At the gladiator arena, Myzax was knocked to the ground by Belle next in her Galra slave outfit amidst the cheering crowd with Zarkon and Kaecilius watching from the seats before she spoke prior to the announcer._

"Apparently, our performance caught their attention. They wanted to see how far our strength will go. So, they got the biggest of big guys to fight after Myzax."

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, making his return after 50 decaphoebes in defense for his title of the mightiest, Moktal the Marauder!"_

 _With that, Moktal emerged from the shadows of the entry gates and bore red face paint in a jagged style over his eyes and in a dark grey tunic over his combat pants before he raised his sword to Zarkon and spoke._

" _I fight in the name of Galra, or I die by my own blade!"_

 _As the crowd cheered louder at his declaration, the announcer spoke up._

" _Now, as per his custom, he gets a choice between two fighters who made it this far to face him. And like any other battle, it is victory or death for the challenger."_

 _With the crowd cheering at this and chanting his name, the announcer presented the choice as Shiro and Belle were forced out to the arena before they looked to each other._

" _Shiro?"_

" _Belle?"_

" _What are you doing here?"_

 _Before either one could answer, the announcer spoke again._

" _Which opponent will you fight, Moktal? Takashi Shirogane? Or Belle Shaybon?"_

 _As the choices were presented, Moktal saw no foreseeable threat to them. Only entertainment. For him, it was easy as he smiled and gave the answer._

" _I choose both."_

 _Hearing this, the crowd grew shocked while Zarkon and Kaecilius raised their eyebrows in intrigue before the announcer got confused._

" _Uh, come again, Moktal?"_

" _How can any one shrimp be a decent challenger for me? With both of them, I get one fighter. The fact that they defeated Myzax was mere luck. And I intend to prove it."_

 _With that, Myzax walked to the back of the arena before he turned around and cracked his knuckles as he spoke to the challengers._

" _You have one minute. Start the countdown."_

 _With that, the overhead monitor displayed a time limit of 60 ticks in Galra before the announcer widely stepped out of the ring as they turned to each other._

" _Well, do you have any bright ideas, Captain?"_

" _Let me think here, Belle."_

 _With that, Shiro looked closely at Moktal and noticed his dark purple cutlasses in his hands before he spoke._

" _Okay, so this guy has two cutlasses. Don't worry. Anyway, when I give the signal, we move. Got it?"_

" _Yeah."_

 _With that, the alarm went off before Moktal charged in with a shout before Shiro spoke._

" _Move!"_

 _As they dodged, Shiro and Belle quickly dodged the cutlasses before Moktal used the momentum of his swing to go upward in the air as he planted one cutlass to the ground before powering up another cutlass with purple light before attempting a slice, creating a purple light slash, proving its potency as it sliced one pillar apart and caused it to collapse as the crowd cheered. Having barely avoided the slash, Shiro and Belle took their breaths as they hid in the dust. While they did so, Moktal smiled._

" _What's the matter? Did you lose your spines already? Too bad. I would've wanted so badly to rip them out myself."_

 _As he stomped around the arena for them, Shiro got out his sword from his fight with Myzax while Belle noticed him and thought she needed to distract him as she stepped up and spoke._

" _Hey!"_

 _Hearing her voice, Moktal turned to see Belle glaring at him before he spoke._

" _Ah, wonderful! Someone with guts. However... it won't be that way for long."_

 _With that, Moktal prepped his cutlass to slash a purple light at her only for her to dodge it, making it impact the ground as she ran around, causing him to make a smokescreen of sand before Belle leaped onto a pillar and climbed up on it just as Moktal got his sight back with the dust faded before she surveyed the situation with Shiro moving in to attack him with his sword, clashing his sword with Moktal's cutlass. As Shiro pushed as hard as he could, Moktal wasn't amused as he showed little effort in pushing his sword. As he pushed him back, Shiro was having trouble with it, much to Belle's horror before Moktal prepped his cutlass for an energy slash. As Shiro took notice, he dodged it as it went through the pillar that Belle was on top of before she climbed down halfway and used her legs to push upon the pillar while Moktal walked toward Shiro with a smirk before realizing his partner wasn't around._

" _Where is your partner?"_

 _Belle responded to him as she yelled out with her push._

" _Right here!"_

 _As she pushed the pillar down, Belle went down with it as Moktal took notice before slashing at the pillar, destroying it before it could hit the challenger, while also hitting her right arm and earning her pained scream. However, it was in vain before a piece of it landed on him and struck him down, earning a gasp from the crowd before the dust settled. As it did, Shiro saw Belle unconscious and went toward her in panic._

" _Belle! Are you okay?!"_

 _As Shiro lifted her up from the pillar, she groaned before he noticed that her arm wasn't... attached anymore. Moktal's attack must have taken her arm in the process. With that, he lifted her up before Shiro took off his garb around him and wrapped it on her severed arm before Belle winced and groaned as she woke up to see him._

" _S-Shiro? What...?"_

 _When she noticed her arm went missing, Belle began to panic as she placed her head on Shiro's shoulder._

" _What happened to my arm?!"_

" _Calm down, Belle. You'll be fine."_

 _However, their moment wouldn't last long as Moktal slowly got up from his crater where he was smushed before he angrily drew out his cutlasses as Zarkon turned to his acolyte._

" _They're very strong for such a weak stature. They'll make fine soldiers."_

 _Kaecilius could only agree with him on one person._

" _I hardly see why the male should be kept alive. He desired blood."_

" _Did he? It certainly doesn't appear that way."_

 _As Kaecilius looked again, he took notice of Shiro cradling Belle as Moktal drew closer before he found himself convinced._

" _Hmm. As you wish."_

" _You will not rob me of my title! I refuse to be beaten by little insects!"_

 _Before Moktal could strike, however, Kaecilius spoke up._

" _That's enough!"_

 _With that, Moktal ceased his attack out of confusion before he spoke out to the people._

" _Those 'insects' have more than proven their worth! Such is the might and benevolence of the Galra Empire! When we found them, they were clueless animals, scared and afraid of the unknown! But now... they stand before us as victors over even the legendary Moktal the Marauder!"_

 _As the crowd cheered at this, Belle spoke to him._

" _Alright! We won! Now let us go!"_

 _Kaecilius only chuckled before he spoke._

" _Alas, my dear... I'm afraid that is impossible. We cannot let such fine soldiers go to waste. Especially not with your current imperfections. First, that weakness must be cleansed. Take them to Komar."_

 _Hearing his words, Belle tensed her only hand before she shouted at him._

" _You promised... you lied to me! You lied!"_

 _With that, Belle got out of Shiro's arms and began attacking the Galra soldiers before she was incapacitated while Shiro tried to join in, only to be subdued himself before they were carried off to their maker as Kaecilius spoke again._

" _Do not despair, fellow Galra! The next time you see them, they'll be fine examples of your empire, and fine examples of Zarkon's noble judgment!"_

 _With that, the crowd cheered in praise as they chanted his name._

" _Zarkon! Zarkon! Zarkon! Zarkon!"_

* * *

 _Later, Belle was taken to an operating table as she tried to break herself free, only for Zarkon's advisor to walk toward her and Komar as he spoke to the warlock._

" _Fascinating. Belle is quite the fighter. Just like on Earth."_

 _Then, Belle spoke to Kaecilius with Venom in her voice._

" _You... you promised you'd let us go if I won!"_

" _By technicality, you haven't won anything. Not yet."_

 _This made Belle widen her eyes as she realized what he meant._

" _I don't get it. What else do I have to fight?"_

" _You'll see... Komar, if you would."_

 _With that, Komar presented a robotic, silver and dark purple arm as Belle looked at it and spoke to her captor._

" _What is it?"_

" _Your true test. If by a slim chance you can withstand the Quintessence it has to offer you, you are free to go. Although, I highly doubt you would."_

 _With that, the arm attached its wiring onto her stump and forced its connection, earning her pained yell that quickly ceased as Belle felt the Dark Quintessence invading her body and making her cringe as she felt it before Kaecilius spoke._

" _Didn't think so."_

 _As he walked away, Belle's sounds of struggle faded as she welcomed the power that now flowed through her and fell prey to slumber as she spoke._

" _I am... so... tired..."_

* * *

At the Castle, Belle was finishing her story.

"The next time I woke up, I wasn't the same. The Quintessence that arm gave me, it... corrupted me. Made me a killing machine. And I'm having a hard time trying to overcome that, as you can see."

As Belle solemnly stared at her arm, Ayame felt bad for her as she spoke.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"Yeah, well, sorry can't fix everything. In fact, the only way I could move on is if the Galra are..."

She hesitated to speak of this toward their race as Lapis, Azix, and Zaltron were of the good variety, like Upaz was. As she gave pause, Ayame could tell what she meant as Belle spoke.

"Well, let's just say, I'll feel better when they answer for what they did to me."

As Ayame held her head down at this, she spoke solemnly.

"I understand. But... what if they tried to help you?"

Belle scoffed at this as she spoke.

"If this was their way of helping me, then I don't want any help from any of them. They're just monsters who don't care who they hurt or how they do it. And when I find the Galra that did this to me, I'm gonna kill..."

Before she spoke further, her synthetic arm sprouted out an energy blade like a knife.

"...every last one of them."

This made Ayame uncomfortable as she spoke.

"Okay... I think I'll just... go."

With that, Ayame slowly walked out of the training room as Belle sighed.

* * *

At the hall, Ayame leaned against the wall and shed tears for what Belle said to her as they played back in her mind, making her more and more upset. Why did she have to be born as _his_ daughter? Why did she have to be born at all? As she wallowed in this, Keith noticed her brooding before he spoke.

"Ayame?"

"Yeah?"

"What's up?"

Ayame didn't even move from where she was and responded just as emotionlessly as her last response.

"Nothing."

Hearing the blandness in her voice, Keith grew concerned and spoke to her again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Keith. I'm fine. Can you please give me some space?"

However, Keith spoke contrary to her wishes.

"I can't do that. I was gonna tell you that Shiro needs us. Said something about getting intel."

This made Ayame raise her head before she spoke.

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

Later, everyone, including Belle, Babak, Azix, Lapis, and Zaltron were at the bridge before Shiro spoke.

"Okay. We don't know how they found us, but so far, our best guess is Xaira. According to Allura, Xaira was Zarkon's daughter. She was thought to have died a long time ago. But given what we've seen, and witnessed, I'd say she's alive and kicking."

This made Jenny a bit tense as she spoke.

"I don't get it. How can Xaira possibly know where we are? Lapis, did she make contact with anyone before?"

"I don't know. I haven't even heard of her until now."

Shiro then proceeded to speak on the mission.

"Well, either way, the best bet to find out Xaira's location is where Jenny was captured: Komar's cruiser. Fortunately, it's just around the corner, but it's not gonna stay that way for long. So we need to find whatever intel it has and get it before it takes off."

As the Castle showed the Galra cruiser, Jenny cringed at the thought of what happened to her.

"Yikes. I do not want to go through that mess with him again. He made me look so old..."

"Well, if we're going to learn more about Xaira, I'm afraid we'll have to face Komar head on."

With that, Belle's voice spoke up behind them, causing them to turn as she continued to speak.

"Did you say Komar?That guy owes me payback for what he did to me."

Shiro saw that look on her face before and did not approve.

"Absolutely not. With the way you are now, it's too risky to send you—"

Before he could finish, Jenny interrupted him.

"It'll be fine, Shiro. As long as I'm around, I promise my sis will be on her best behavior."

She then turned to Belle and gave a glare with a forced smile, unnerving her sister before she agreed.

"Right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry."

"Right. But... you do know that you'll have to confront him again, don't you? I just don't know how well you can handle it."

"You don't have to worry. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Unable to convince her to let it go, Shiro only sighed as he spoke.

"Well, here's the plan."

* * *

Later, it showed the Green Lion going to Komar's cruiser invisibly as Jenny, Ayame, and Belle were riding with Pidge dropping them off in a hangar bay before it opened its mouth and the girls got out before the Green Lion took off while Jenny turned her skin and hair color dark purple before growing a bit tall to match the Galran color and height as Shiro spoke.

" _Once Pidge drops you off at the hangar, Jenny, you'll go incognito and try to blend in with the other Galra as you take Belle to see Komar."_

As she noticed a Galran soldier walking by to notice the Paladins and the Green Lion, Jenny used her chain blade to snatch him before he could even begin to run to the alarm and trigger it before she knocked him unconscious and took his armory before she gave her a thumbs up with a smile. After which, Jenny noticed a Galran monitor on the armory before she got confused.

"Geez, how do you work this thing?"

Belle then let her synthetic arm do the work as she typed in the code and she smiled.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

At that moment, Komar spoke up.

"What is it now, soldier?"

"I've got a prisoner for you, Komar."

"That's Warlock Komar to you."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Warlock Komar, sir. Anyway, I think you know the prisoner very well."

As Komar noticed Belle, he widened his eyes in surprise before he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Ahem. Impressive work. Take her to my lab."

"Vrepit Sa."

With that, the monitor feed turned off before Jenny turned to Belle.

"Cool. Looks like we're in."

With that, Belle and Jenny walked while Ayame stealthily crept across the walls to get to the control room and saw a Galran soldier before she snuck behind the soldier and grabbed him while holding her hand over his mouth as he shouted in vain before he fell unconscious and she got out a flash drive from Pidge that contained Belle's Galran interface of her arm as it showed Pidge's monkey face on it as she smiled after Shiro spoke.

" _Now, while Belle and Jenny distract Komar, Ayame will sneak over to the database and try to find any information on who Xaira is. Once you have that info synced to the Castle, bolt immediately."_

"Good thing for your technology, Pidge."

As Ayame looked over the files, she noticed several of them with videos of her and Komar before she continued scrolling through the files before she noticed her own experimentation with wide eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny and Belle were just outside the lab door as the former began tingling while the latter made an angry growl before Jenny spoke.

"Uh, sis... I'm scared..."

"It'll be okay, Jenny. Because that's just one more thing he's going to pay for. Now do your thing."

"Uh, okay."

With that, Jenny knocked on the lab door before she spoke.

"Uh, Warlock Komar, sir? I've brought the prisoner."

With that, the doorway opened to see Komar as he walked out before speaking.

"Hmm. Well, I'm impressed that you weren't late."

As Jenny smiled nervously, Komar eyed Belle and spoke.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Kren. Bring her in."

"Vrepit Sa."

With that, the sisters walked in before he closed the lab doors and spoke.

"I do hope you've had your fun."

Belle then glared at Komar as she spoke.

"Trust me, I'll feel a lot better when you're out of the picture."

"I expected as much since our last encounter. And I also expected this charade... Jennifer."

As Jenny grew surprised, Komar fired his siphon at Jenny, knocking her back and making her unconscious before Belle got worried.

"Jenny!"

In retaliation, Belle attempted to attack him before Komar stopped her.

"Stop! Not one more step."

"And why the quiznak not?"

"If you don't listen, you'll never know who Xaira really is."

This made Belle widen her eyes in intrigue as she laid down her gauntlet.

"Alright. Explain. But leave Jenny out of this. She's been through enough already."

"So be it, then. Listen carefully."

* * *

In the information room, Ayame looked at the file of her creation as she saw herself on an operating table before she spoke.

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yes. If we are to gain their trust, we must perform this experiment."

"But with Dark Quintessence?"

"The Galra use this type as their base to be identified as such. And for whatever reason, I traced these amounts in your own body by a mild amount. If we bring it out, they won't tell the difference."

"Isn't there a better way?"

"Think of it this way. If you had to succumb to the dark to save your friends, wouldn't you?"

For a while, there was a moment of silence before she took a deep breath and replied.

"Only if I have no choice."

"Alright, so do I have your consent?"

"Yes."

With that, Komar didn't hesitate to make the injection of Dark Quintessence inside her before she groaned in pain before her skin turned dark purple as did her raven hair and she took a deep breath as her skin then changed back to normal before she looked to Komar.

"Did it work?"

"Welcome to the Galra Empire... Xaira."

As the video finished, Ayame widened her eyes before she spoke.

"Komar didn't just come up with that name. He got it from Zarkon all along... he knew who I was already. Just another in a long list of lies he told me."

Suddenly, Shiro's voice spoke up on her gauntlet.

"Ayame, did you find the files yet?"

This made Ayame nervous before she scrolled through to find information on Zarkon as well.

"Yeah. But Xaira's not the only one with files."

"What do you mean?"

"It has Zarkon's information, too. His weaknesses, his vulnerabilities, everything. We have to get those files."

"No, Ayame. It's not the plan. We need to know everything we can about Xaira."

In her moment of panic, Ayame snapped at him.

"None of it will matter when Zarkon's dead!"

With that, Ayame shut off the link with her gauntlet before she downloaded the files of Zarkon while shredding any and all files that pertained to Xaira, only to hear Belle's voice.

"How could you?"

Hearing her voice, Ayame turned to see Belle alone before she spoke.

"Belle? What happened? Where's Jenny?"

"Why would you care... Xaira?"

Hearing this, Ayame widened her eyes before she spoke.

"Belle, listen. I can explain."

"Don't even try to poison my ears! How many lives have you ruined before you even gave it a second thought?!"

"What? Why would you think that? Wait. How did you even know who I—"

With that, Komar stepped forward out of the shadows with a smirk before he spoke.

"You weren't the first person, I talked to, if you remember."

This made Ayame shocked as she spoke.

"Komar? What did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything. I simply told her the truth. Ultimately, it's up to her to decide what to do with you."

As Belle walked toward her with an angry glare, Ayame's worst fear has been realized as she tried to reason with her again.

"Belle, please. You don't have to do this."

"You lied to us. To Jenny. To Shiro. And to Allura. I don't know why you didn't kill them yet, but I'm not going to give you that chance."

"Be cautious, Kren. Xaira is extremely powerful. We better not take any chances."

With that, Komar got out his siphon before he pushed a button on the bottom of the handle before Belle's arm began glowing purple as she moaned in pain as Ayame grew concerned.

"Belle!"

As it glowed however, the arm evolved itself as it grew sharp claws and a purple glow in its cracks before the cracks repaired themselves. After which, Belle's eyes then flared yellow before she lunged at Ayame with an energy blade, forcing her to evacuate as she took the flash drive and ran out of the room before she opened her gauntlet to speak to Shiro.

"Takashi, I need help!"

"Calm down, Ayame. What's going on?"

"Komar did something to Belle! She's lost control and she's trying to—"

Before she could finish, Belle burst through the wall with a shout, making her scream as she felt the impact, catching Shiro and Keith's worry as the former spoke.

"Ayame?! Ayame!"

With that, Shiro growled before he turned to Keith.

"Keith, the mission is off. Get in that cruiser and help her!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny struggled to wake up before she gasped for air and looked around as she painted for breath.

"Sis? Where are you?"

As an answer, she heard Belle's raging voice and Ayame's screams of panic before she ran out of the lab as she spoke.

"Well, so much for the element of surprise."

As she ran, she thought about what's happened since she got knocked unconscious.

"What's happening right now? First, we were in the lab. Then, I got unconscious. Oh, I hope he didn't do anything to my sis."

Unfortunately, that was a reality as she saw Belle attacking Ayame with an energy blade as she got her naginata out and tried to block her blade, only for it to be knocked away before she set her foot down on Ayame, much to Jenny's worry.

"I'm going to make you regret the day you were born, Xaira!"

This would've made Jenny confused if she wasn't concerned about Ayame and her sister before she got her chain blade out and wrapped her before shocking her, this time to no avail as she just growled before Jenny spoke to Ayame.

"Get out of here, Ayame! Go save yourself and get the file to the Castle!"

"But—"

"No buts! Just go!"

This made Ayame look at the flash drive before she ran away as Belle gripped the electric whip and used it to slam her repeatedly on the walls before she got free and gripped her by the head with her claw.

"Why did you let her get away?! She's the enemy! She's Zarkon's daughter!"

In her frenzied state, her thinking has also made her more susceptible to dark thoughts as she spoke.

"And you knew, didn't you?!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"LIAR!"

Suddenly, Belle tossed her farther away in the hall as Ayame began to breath erratically, not sure what to do in the situation she's presented with. The fact that Belle knew the truth about her didn't help the situation at all as she tried to will herself to relax.

"Okay, calm down, Ayame. Calm down."

As she took a deep breath, Ayame then heard Jenny's voice as she helped in pain before she gasped and looked behind her to see Jenny bruised and battered before Belle gripped her by the neck and choked her while she spoke with venom in her voice.

"You chose the wrong side, Jenny! There are no good Galra or bad Galra! It's us or them!"

Then, she slammed Jenny to the ground before she got her energy blade out before she spoke.

"And you chose them."

With that, Belle attempted to stab Jenny before she was stopped by Ayame charging at her and knocking her to the ground as she shouted at her.

"ENOUGH! Leave her out of this! I'm the one you want!"

"No. Not just you... every single one of you."

With that, Belle pointed her claw at Ayame and charged it with an ion-cannon-like blast before Ayame and Jenny got out of its path as she saw Komar behind her and panicked as she saw him walking toward her as he spoke.

"I don't know how long you've been awake, but savor the light. Things are about to get dark."

As he got closer, Jenny noticed the siphon in his hand before she jumped at him in a swift move and took the siphon from him only for Komar to fight her for it.

"You are nothing! You are unworthy! It's power will kill you, torture you! Send you straight to Wozblay!"

"I'm not gonna use it! And... neither... will... you!"

Jenny glared at him before she smacked him in the face with it, knocking him to the floor before she felt adrenaline rushing through her as she spoke.

"Wow. That wasn't so bad."

However, Komar wasn't down yet as he growled and tried to get up before Jenny reassessed the situation and looked at the siphon before remembering how her arm corrupted her sister as she spoke.

"I know what to do."

With that, she took off toward the two before they ended up at the hangar bay where Belle and Ayame clashed their blades from their arm and naginata before Belle suddenly tripped her and hit her blade near her neck as she spoke.

"You don't help people, Ayame. You use them."

With that, Belle was about to stab Ayame when a Dark Quintessential blast struck her synthetic arm and began to drain the Dark Quintessence as she screamed in agony as Jenny held Right in the siphon before the purple glows on her arm faded into black and Belle fell unconscious before Jenny saw Komar headed toward her before she reacted and fired a blast at him, knocking him back with the amount of Dark Quintessence through various halls before she gripped the siphon and panted as she still felt the adrenaline coursing through her.

"WHOO! That felt great!"

Then, Jenny heard Belle's moans before she went over to them and saw Ayame sobbing on the floor over what happened before she spoke to the little sister.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Seeing her need of comfort, Jenny knelt down and held her close and hushed her as she spoke.

"It's okay, Ayame. None of this was your fault. It's all over."

With that, the Red Lion appeared in the hangar bay as Ayame cried in her arms.

* * *

Later, at the Castle, Belle slowly woke up with a moan as she saw Shiro standing over her.

"Hey, Belle. You doing alright?"

With that, Belle sat up and placed her hand over her head, only to notice blue coloring inside her arm, making her confused.

"What? How did—?"

Shiro spoke up to her as he sat down.

"Jenny used Komar's siphon to extract the Dark Quintessence out of you. After that, you were in critical condition. So, Jenny gave up some of her Quintessence for you."

This made Belle turn to her left before seeing Jenny sleeping on a hospital bed as Belle began to remember what she did at the cruiser.

"Oh, no... Jenny."

"She'll be okay. She's a real trooper. She always has been."

However, that did nothing to stop Belle from crying as she remembered what she almost did to her.

"I... I almost killed her..."

As Belle wept over Jenny, Shiro placed his hand over her shoulder, trying to find some way to comfort her as he spoke.

"She'll be fine. That wasn't you. It was Komar. Somehow, he knew we were going to try to pull that off. But how?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I just want Jenny to be okay."

As she slept, Jenny turned her head before she turned to see Ayame feeling ashamed before taking off, making her remember who Ayame really was before she spoke.

"Shiro. Can I go talk with Ayame? She's... had it hard, too."

"Sure."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame was walking back to her bedroom just as she heard Keith's voice.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ayame, already having had enough of what's happened to her, spoke coldly to Keith.

"None of your business. Leave me alone."

"Well, fat chance! You almost got everyone killed today! You had your chance to follow Shiro's orders, but you didn't! And now, Jenny's on the hospital bed after what you put her through!"

"Excuse me?!"

"If you had just obeyed his orders, this whole mess could've been avoided!"

"I just wanted this whole thing to be over."

"What good is that if you get your own team killed in the process?! With what you went through, how can you possibly think that's okay to just write off Shiro's orders like that?!"

Ayame tensed her fist at his words before she began to flip.

"How would you feel if you knew your biological father was some intergalactic tyrant!? Huh!? I was an accident! I never asked to be made! The universe had no intention of bringing me to life! And maybe the mission would've been a success if I was never born! Heck! Maybe if I never existed in the first place, my mom, my dad, Kumiko... they would still be alive. I-I'm just like Zarkon, taking lives from others. I am a cold hearted monster... just like my father."

As tears streamed down Ayame's face as she finished, her eyes widened and realized that she spilled her secret to the red Paladin. Hot-headed as he was, he was nonetheless loyal to his team. She knew that he's more likely to tell them. Despite that, Keith began to feel a huge weight of guilt over him as he tried to comfort her.

"Ayame—"

Before Keith could make his attempt to soothe her, Ayame rushed to her room, and locked herself in there as Keith sighed sadly before Belle spoke.

"So... I guess you beat me to it."

Keith then turned around to see Belle before he spoke.

"Beat you to what?"

"I was gonna ask Ayame why she kept it a secret. And... we both just found out why. She was... scared."

Then, as if her attack wasn't enough, Belle also remembered what she talked about with Ayame, making her feel worse.

"Oh, no. I really did it this time. At the training room, I said I'd kill every last Galra and... oh, why did I even say that?"

Keith then spoke to her as she tried to sort herself out.

"It's okay. I'll tell her you didn't mean what you said."

"After what I put her through, she won't believe it unless it's from me. I'll let you calm her down first. I don't want Ayame to... well, have nightmares over what I did and said to her."

"I'll see what I can do."

With that, Keith slowly walked over to Ayame's quarters before he slowly opened the door and saw Ayame's tears down her face, giving away evidence that she was crying as Keith spoke gently with her.

"Hey. Listen... I'm sorry. For... blowing up at you. I'm just really worried about everyone. And about you."

Then, Ayame spoke up next as she sniffled, trying to stop her voice from breaking.

"It's okay. I get it. I'm sorry for stopping you guys. I just... If they all knew who I really am, would they even want me?"

As he answered, Keith sat down beside Ayame.

"I do. You can count on that. You're the only one who understands where I'm coming from and why I do the things I do. You... you relate to me. And the last thing I want is for you to be hurt. So... if it helps... I won't tell anyone about your being part Galra."

"You... you won't?"

"Not until you feel up to it."

This made Ayame happy as she hugged Keith, surprising him before he did the same.

"Thank you so much..."

"You're welcome."

Then, they heard Belle knocking on the door before Ayame noticed and looked away in shame before Belle sighed as she sat on the opposite bed adjacent to the two before she spoke.

"Okay. Look, I overheard you telling Keith why you kept the truth from us. And I have just one thing to say to you. I'm s- I'm sorry for forcing you to do that."

This earned Ayame's confused look before he spoke.

"What I said to you, back at the training room, I didn't... I never meant to hurt you with that. But I did anyway. I was so wrapped up about blaming the Galra for the monster they made me into, that I ended up acting like one. And I'm not talking about what Komar made me do at that cruiser. I guess... I just didn't want to accept what's happened to me and just wake up like this was all a nightmare. The point is... I'm the one who should be hiding from everybody right now. You're a perfect example of how people should be, Galra or not, always risking their lives for others, not hurting them. You're... you're nothing at all like your father. I see that now and... I'm sorry."

Hearing her say those words made Ayame smile as she wiped her tears away before she spoke.

"Okay. But, you know, I never blamed you for feeling that way. True, it hurt me more than any weapon ever could, but still, to know that you never meant it... that's what I needed. Thank you."

Belle then nodded to her as she walked out before stopping and looking back one more time.

"Oh. And don't worry. Your secret's safe with me, too."

As she walked away, Ayame smiled at her before Keith spoke.

"So... do you still want to be alone?"

"For now. I've had an exhausting day."

"Okay. Good to know."

With that, Keith walked out of the door with Ayame getting the sleep she needed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura was given a full report by Belle over what occurred on the cruiser, omitting Xaira's true identity before he spoke.

"So, that's how it happened? And you still never found out who Xaira was?"

"No. None of us got the chance. On the bright side, Jenny did manage to drain my arm of the Dark Quintessence that it gave me. I'm just sorry things had to go like this. That operation took a lot out of her. I'm just surprised she actually agreed to it."

Allura then spoke up.

"Actually, about that... She was frightened of operations, so Sandra offered a Baku plant to her to lull her to sleep."

This made Belle raise an eyebrow as she spoke.

"Huh? Oh. That makes more sense, actually. So, what now?"

"Since we don't know where Xaira is, or where she'll strike, we'll just have to be ready."

"And how are we gonna prepare for that?"

"I don't know. But we must be ready. Because if we're not careful, Zarkon will have Voltron and the universe in his grasp. We cannot allow it to happen."

"While I'm inclined to agree, Allura, I think we have bigger things to worry about than just Zarkon. I just... I can't help but feel someone worse will come along the way."

* * *

At Komar's cruiser, Kaecilius walked toward the bruised Komar before he spoke.

"Do you care to explain to me... what... has... happened?"

As Komar lifted himself up, he answered as best he could.

"The plan to reclaim Kren backfired. Jennifer used my siphon to drain her of the Dark Quintessence and used it all on me. Quite resourceful that girl."

"Annoyingly so. But it is no matter. We have much bigger plans than Kren. And when we're done, not even Voltron can stand against its might."


	17. Greening the Cube

**Chapter 16:** Greening the Cube

At outer space, the Paladins were doing diagnostics outside the Castle as Shiro spoke to the group.

"Let's hurry up with these repairs. Zarkon or Kaecilius could be here at any moment."

The group opened up a giant spring that glowed blue around the sockets as Hunk spoke to Coran and Babak for further instruction.

"Okay, panel's off. Now what?"

"Very simple. Just loosen the blaxums on the somoflange."

Hunk didn't quite understand that.

"Could you be more specific?"

"He meant the poklones on the agroclams."

"No, that doesn't help."

Lance then spoke up as he tried to speed it along.

"Easy, Hunk. I got this."

Then, Lance tried his luck on the spring, only for the sprocket to glow red and blared an alarm.

"Uh-oh. That can't be good."

With that, Babak and Coran get into a heated argument.

"No, not the smalters, the poklones!"

"No, no! It's the blaxums!"

"What are you talking about?"

Then, Pidge figured it out as she pushed a few buttons before turning the switch and pushing it down before its blue color returned to normal.

"There. Fixed."

"Well done, Pidge! At least _you_ had the decency to put the poklones on the agroclams."

"The tech on this ship never ceases to amaze me. It's so mathematically elegant. Its fit is a 100 times more frictionless than any exoskeleton we have on Earth. It's... beautiful."

Then, Lance spoke to Pidge about her love for the Castle.

"It's not a sunset, Pidge."

"You're right. A billion sunsets happen every day. Some genius engineer actually built this."

Hunk thought more about what cuisine it related to.

"Kinda looks like a big, delicious curly fry."

Then, just as the spring went down, a small object landed on Hunk's face before they noticed a small squishy substance in the field and saw more of them coming as they got their shields ready while Shiro spoke.

"All right, we've prepared for this. Remember your rogue projectile cluster training from the Garrison. First we need a temporary shelter."

Then, Shiro ended up hit by the substance before looking at Lance.

"Wha—?"

"Oh, sorry, Shiro. I was trying to hit Keith."

Then, Keith hit Lance, earning his growl as he chuckled.

"Like that?"

Hunk welcomed the inevitable as he spoke.

"Yes! Squishy asteroid fight!"

The Paladins immediately hurtled the squishy substances at each other.

"All right, guys. Oh, oh! Okay, now it's on!"

As they did so, Pidge just floated as she looked at the object while Lance hurtled out of control.

"Hmm."

"Oh, come on!"

"I don't think these are asteroids, Coran. I'm going to need a containment unit."

Then, Coran and Babak knew it was familiar.

"Just a tick."

"They appear to be some sort of hyper-resilient spore. I haven't seen these in 10,000 years."

"This bioluminescent pulsing doesn't seem natural. It appears programmed. I think it's a code."

"A code? From who?"

Then, Hunk got hit in the face with the spore as it splattered all over him again before Pidge answered.

"I don't know. I mean, it makes no sense. You can't program a spore."

Shiro grew confident in her as Babak reminded them of standard procedure.

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you, Pidge."

"Before that, you all need immediate decontamination. I refuse to let you come in here all covered in germs."

* * *

Then, the Paladins ended up in the decontamination chamber, where they were rinsed, covered in soap, floating underwater, and blow dried before Pidge ended up blown away. Not long after, Keith, Ayame, and Lapis were trying to figure out how he got the blade.

"How do you think I got it?"

"Well, Zarkon apparently gave it to me as a gift before it was unlocked. Maybe it got passed down to you?"

"Really? By who?"

"Depends. Did your father ever talk to you about your mother?"

Usually, it's a touchy subject, but around the two of them, he felt comfortable with it, somehow.

"All I know about her was that she was... not from Earth. And she had to go back to her mission."

That was a bell ringer for Lapis.

"Exactly. Maybe your mother was pure Galra to begin with. Maybe a fellow Blade of Marmora even."

"You really think so?"

"It does make sense... somehow. But how can we be sure?"

Just then, Coran came in as Keith hid the blade under his pillow.

"Keith, ladies, did you happen to see a mouse coming through here? He has something of mine."

"Uh... no."

"We'll let you know if we find him."

"I'll find you, Platt."

Then, Ayame took the opportunity to speak to Coran with Keith and Lapis following them.

"Wait, Coran! Do you think it's possible the Galra could've went to Earth? I mean, Komar did."

"Oh, I think you would know if the Galra were here."

Upon realizing the words that came from his mouth, Coran apologized before Lapis spoke.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"What about the Blue Lion? They must've tracked its signal with the Red Lion."

Just then, Lance and Jenny opened the door as the both of them were wearing white cream on their faces.

"Hey, why are you asking about my lion? How many lions do you need?"

"I heard Galra in there, too. You trying to solve a mystery or something?"

Keith tried to explain before Lance shut him down.

"What? No. W-we were just..."

"Don't 'What? No. W-we were just...' me! You've had your eye on the Blue Lion since day one!"

Ayame tried to help Keith out on that to no avail.

"Well, yeah. Because it's the first one you guys found and..."

"Ah! Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah! The Blue Lion's with me and we're very happy together! Very happy!"

Then, the door closed before Jenny spoke to Lance.

"Geez, dude. They were just trying to solve the mystery... whatever that is."

Then, Pidge called for everyone's attention.

"Guys! Check this out!"

* * *

At the lab, the Paladins saw a machine holding the spore as it produced the code on the screen as Hunk spoke.

"Oh, oh! I've seen this experiment. But, question: why do we need to get electricity from a potato?"

"What? No, no. I was able to crack the 'sporse code.'"

Jenny laughed at Pidge's wordplay.

"Nice one, Pidge."

"Anyway, I ran the bioluminescent pattern through a variety of code-breaking sequences including this homemade virtual Turing machine. Of course, I had to make a few tweaks to the original design, because, obviously there have been several advancements since he designed it. Although, you have to admit, Turing was a shining light in the world of science in an age when far too many are still..."

Jenny and Ayame interrupted Pidge's explanation as the former felt confused.

"Can you cut to the chase, please? All these facts are taking up my brain storage."

"What does it say?"

"Oh, yeah. 'Under attack. Galra. Help.' And then there are coordinates."

Shiro knew what it meant when it came to the Galra.

"It's a distress signal. Good work, Pidge. Get those coordinates into the castle-ship's navigation system."

* * *

Then, once they've gotten to the coordinates, they saw a brown planet with a ring of rock similar to the ring of ice on the mermaid planet as Jenny widened her eyes.

"Whoa! What planet is that?"

Coran then gave out the details as to where the signal came from.

"The signal came from Olkarion, home to the Olkari, a proud class of engineers, builders of vast cities that could change shape at the whim of their creators."

"Really?"

Catching their interest, Babak explained to Jenny.

"That's right. Their abilities allowed them to manipulate solid metal. With just a wave of their hand, they could build a computer inside a block of steel."

Pidge grew enamored with their city while Ayame and Jenny grew impressed with their abilities.

"Whoa."

"Is that really true?"

"Of course! Why, an Olkari gave me this!"

Then, Coran presented a floating black and green cube to the group as Lance spoke.

"What is it?"

"Uh, hello? It's a floating cube!"

Then, Coran laughed before he spoke again.

"And watch! My name is Coran, and I'm a gorgeous man."

Then, the cube repeated Coran's sentence.

"My name is Coran, and I'm a gorgeous man."

Then, as Pidge grew more excited about Olkarion, Keith was trying to figure out whether or not the spores were the best choice.

"Why would a society of literal tech wizards use spores to send a distress signal?"

Then, Ayame thought of another question.

"Come to think of it, why couldn't they use the Olkari Cubes?"

"Who cares? When do we get to see the city?"

Allura then downgraded her hype.

"Actually, Pidge, it isn't coming from the city. It's coming from... the forest."

Then, as Pidge groaned, it made sense to Ayame as to why they used spores.

"Oh..."

"Oh. I see why now."

* * *

At Olkarion, Ayame and Jenny tried to understand Pidge's dislike of nature.

"Why doesn't anyone ever send a distress signal from a cool place? I hate the outdoors. Nothing but sunburn and poison oak."

"What's not to like about the outdoors. There's the fresh air, flowers..."

"Playing sports, family fun time, making new friends..."

Keith could agree with them on another matter.

"I like it out here. It's quiet..."

Just then, they heard arrows darting to the lions and hitting them, causing blue light to overcome them, save for the White Lion due to its particle barrier as Keith and Lapis spoke.

"What was that?"

"Uh, are we being attacked?"

Then, the six lions' eyes turned blue before heading down to the ground.

"I don't know, but something's dragging my lion down to the surface."

"Yeah, something's pulling Blue down too."

Ayame then spoke about its condition while Jenny focused on the group.

"Strange. It's not affecting the White Lion."

"I guess we better follow you guys."

Then, the White Lion followed the lions to the Olkari before they all landed while Hunk, Jenny, and Lance spoke.

"Are those wooden mech suits?"

"Yep. Sure looks that way."

"Are you kidding me? We got taken down by a bunch of tree people!"

Then, Shiro and Ayame tried to appeal to them.

"We come in peace!"

"We mean you no harm!"

Then, the leader of the group grew hopeful.

"Could it be? Voltron?"

Then, the Green Paladin popped up from the top of its back.

"We found your distress signal!"

"Praise Lubos!"

Then, the Olkari all cheered and chanted his name before they brought the group to the forest.

"When the Galra attacked, Gyrgan helped us escaped the cities. After that, we were forced to flee into the forest."

Hearing their story, Ayame felt bad for the way they were forced to leave home before Shiro spoke.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay."

"How long have you lived like this?"

"Many decaphoebs. But, as you can see, our people are resilient. We never stopped evolving. Instead, we adapted our skills with the environment."

This caught Jenny and Ayame's attention as the former spoke elatedly.

"Really? You blended your skills in with the environment?"

"I can tell you're impressed."

"More than you know. We're actually training to use our powers while keeping the environment in mind."

"Well, I'm sure your teacher is doing well."

Ayame smiled as they looked at the birds flying around them. Then, they made their way to the base of the tree where they saw an Olkari create a wooden mech bird that flew by the Paladins as Pidge spoke her newfound respect toward them.

"Coran was right, Ryner. You really are the most incredible engineers in the universe. To be able to switch from working with precision machinery to a bunch of sticks!"

"Nature's designs are superior to any that we could devise."

"No offense, but I'll take a computer over a tree any day."

Ayame then spoke up on an important matter.

"You guys can settle the debate later. Right now, we have to get rid of those Galra invaders."

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. The Galra have our leader, Lubos."

The Olkari then did a reverent now for him at a mere mention.

"Lubos..."

"If you attack, who knows what they'll do to him?"

Jenny saw a straightforward way to solve it.

"Then all we have to do is rescue him. Got any ideas?"

* * *

At the city, the Olkari were being used to power up the giant cubes and assemble it as Branko, a Galra commander with a robot eye put in charge of the planet, spoke out to the oppressed Olkari.

"Work faster! Faster! For a bunch of slaves with magical, metalworking powers, they're taking an awfully long time to build my super weapon."

Then, Varek stepped up beside the commander with a smirk.

"Perhaps they need a bit of motivation, Branko. Show them their king!"

Then, four sentry drones formed a giant screen to show Lubos locked up and pleading.

"No... No more! Please, don't hurt me!"

The Olkari that saw him gasped and grew sad before they put themselves harder at work, creating the giant cube.

"That's more like it."

"This weapon better prove useful, Branko. For your sake."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryner was showing the Paladins to the plants as Keith spoke up.

"Um... Ryner, where are we?"

"This is the armory."

Then, the Olkari used the devices on their arms to bond with the plants and create a gun that shot green bullets, surprising Jenny.

"Say what?"

Then, Ryner placed her hand on a tree, producing a green glow that worked its way to the tree before reaching the fruit and causing it to fall to the ground before opening up to reveal a cockpit as Hunk, Lance, Shiro, and Jenny spoke.

"Huh?"

"Cool!"

"Whoa."

"Now that's Strangling Fruit for ya!"

The group looked to her in confusion.

"What? It needs a code name."

Keith then spoke to Ryner about the tree mechs

"Uh, can I get one of those?"

"Of course. You can each have one."

Then, Ryner opened a flower to reveal wooden headbands before passing them on to the Paladins.

"Now, the key to operating it is understanding that the nanocellulose responds to electrical impulses from the neural pathways connected through this."

"Really? First, we're getting trained to focus, and now lesson two? I literally burned up the first lesson. How am I supposed to pass this one?"

Then, Hunk tasted it before he spoke.

"Mm. Mm! Makes my tongue itchy."

Then, Sandra slapped Hunk in the face.

"It's not for eating, Hunk. Are you really that hungry?"

Then, Ayame turned to Jenny.

"Hey, you'll do just fine, Jenny. I know you will."

Jenny still felt ensure, given the fact she almost incinerated the training grounds.

"I don't know..."

Then, Ayame put her hands in her shoulders before she looked up.

"Remember. Patience yields focus. That's what Takashi taught me. If you're having trouble, these words can help you like they did me and Keith."

Then, Jenny grew confident, adding logic to her words before she nodded and saluted her as Pidge grew confused on its design before Ryner explained.

"Aye-aye, captain."

"This is your interface?"

"Of course, all commands need to come as binary coded messages."

With that, Jenny put on a device and tried to test it.

"So, like this?"

With that, Jenny and Pidge placed their hands on a separate tree and closed their eyes before green light swarmed up their trees and caused the fruit to drop and produce mech suits, although Jenny got more than she wanted (two times as much to be exact), impressing Ryner.

"Yes! Excellent!"

Lance didn't feel as though he had any luck.

"I think mine is just a tree."

"You two must have a deep connection with nature."

Jenny and Pidge explained themselves for their reasons.

"Well, I do like to spend my time outdoors a lot."

"Not me. My allergies and pale skin don't mix with outdoor living."

Shiro explained the reason for Pidge's statement to Ryner before it became clear to her.

"Pidge is our resident tech expert."

"Well, that explains it. Like the Olkari, you understand that, at the deepest level, trees, metal, you, me... we're all made up of the same cosmic dust, all arranged by the laws of mathematics."

Then, Jenny and Pidge noticed Ayame having as much luck as Pidge did while the former spoke.

"Looks like we're not the only ones."

Ryner noticed this as well, just as Ayame got a pod down and got another mech suit ready.

"And just in time. Your friends needed a ride."

* * *

With that, Jenny, Ayame, and Shiro rode in one mech suit with Pidge, Hunk, and Lance in another, Keith, Lapis, and Belle in the third, and Sandra, Ryner, and Gyrgan riding the fourth.

"This way! To the edge of the forest! To save our king!"

Meanwhile, Branko looked on as the cube is nearing completion.

"Finally, the cube is ready to launch. Load the top Olkari engineers onto our ships and prepare for departure. After the cube destroys Olkarion, hopefully, Zarkon will welcome us back to the main fleet."

Having overheard this, Varek on snickered to himself with a wicked smile.

"You speak as if you don't have an expiration date yourself. But you're wrong. Everything does..."

Meanwhile, Ryner and the others made it to the edge and saw the giant purple and black cube.

"Their headquarters is impenetrable from the ground, but there is one way in, a small opening in the roof. It goes all the way down to an open courtyard."

Keith and Belle commented on the situation.

"That's quite a drop."

"That looks like it'll hurt without some parachutes."

"But there you will have total access to the building. The hard part will be getting to the roof undetected."

"That won't be a problem."

Then, Pidge noticed the giant cube in place.

"Hey, hey, what's that? Is that part of the building?"

Ryner saw this and grew petrified.

"It can't be!"

Jenny held Coran's cube into view in the mech's monitors as she spoke.

"That looks just like the cube Coran showed us."

"I haven't seen one of those in many decaphoebs. We used to play with them as children. But this... Only King Lubos could have designed one that size."

Ayame grew confused as to his premise for it while Lapis had a theory.

"Why would be do that?"

"They must have forced him to reveal his designs and reconstruct it as a weapon. From the looks of it, I'd say it's almost finished."

Belle and Shiro knew it'd be finished sooner or later, if not now.

"Or it could be finished already. Either way, we can't just sit around."

"Belle's right. We need to act fast. Everyone, back to base. I have a plan."

* * *

Later, Jenny, Ayame, and the other Paladins were aboard the Green Lion that cloaked itself and hovered above the roof just as Belle, Gyrgan, Trigel, Blaytz, Lapis, and Sandra mounted a resistance in the city as a distraction while Shiro made a plan.

" _First, we'll need to get to the top of that tower. Since the Green Lion has stealth capabilities, Pidge, you're the drop ship. You'll take Keith, Ayame, Jenny, Lance, Hunk, Lapis, and me to the roof, then drop back to a safe position. While that goes down, Belle, you will mount a resistance with Sandra and Ryner to provide us enough time. After the drop, we'll use a sensor to scan the building for any Olkari biorhythms."_

Then, the Paladins made the drop before the BLIP Tech opened up and scanned the whole building, allowing Pidge to see where Lubos was before she sent the coordinates to the team before Jenny inadvertently placed her hand on the tree and ended up feeling strange before she began to fall limp just as Ayame caught her.

"Jenny. You alright?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't go near that tree if I were you, though."

Keith saw this and grew impatient.

"We don't have any time for this. We've got to hurry to Lubos. You coming?"

"Yeah. We'll catch up."

Then, Keith looked to the other Paladins before he nodded and followed them as Jenny spoke to her.

"I'm serious. Something about that tree just felt... unnatural. For some reason, I felt... Dark Quintessence."

Hearing this gave Ayame cause for alarm before she spoke.

"Dark Quintessence? What do you think it has to do with the cube?"

"I have... no clue. But, ever since I was infected, I just get this sixth sense when we're close to whoever used it. And a... very painful one."

"You can push through it, Jenny. You have before."

"I don't doubt it. I just hope it isn't bad for my health. Let's just go to the others."

"Okay."

With that, the two White Paladins caught up with the others to find them standing by the wall and seeing Lubos watching his intergalactic soap opera as he cried.

"Betrayal! She loves you!"

Then, Shiro spoke up.

"King Lubos?"

"Yes. Who are you? The jesters I requested?"

Jenny obviously got very miffed at this comment.

"Jester?! Look, I'm nobody's jester you snob!"

Then, Ayame pulled her back.

"Alright, Jenny. Dial it back. We're here to rescue you."

"Hmm..."

Then, Lubos pushed a button before a door opened to reveal Branko, Varek, and an army of drones as Hunk spoke before Varek.

"You could've just said 'no, thanks.'"

"Looks like someone came to rescue you, Lubos."

Then, Ayame put the pieces together.

"You turned your back on your people just to save yourself?"

"Just like Prince John!"

Hearing this, Lance looked to her as he spoke.

"Yeah, I don't think he's been taking their money. But he is abusing their trust, if that's what you mean."

"I'm doing this _for_ my people! They wanted to fight the Galra, but they are too powerful! The Galra could destroy us!"

Lance and Jenny felt it was unjustified.

"So, you helped enslave your people to build some super weapon?"

"You're stupid! Once they get what they want, they'll just get rid of you, your people, and your home!"

"Don't make me the bad guy! They forced me to do it!"

"Did they force-feed you, too?"

"Aw, snap!"

"Uh..."

As Lubos couldn't explain, Keith chose this moment to take action.

"You're no king."

Then, Keith ran at Lubos only for his attendant to shove him toward Keith, who got out his bayard and held it at his neck, surprising all but the Galra, including Varek who merely raised his eyebrows.

"We're walking out of here! Anyone tries to stop us and Lubos gets it!"

This surprised Ayame and Lance while Jenny felt miffed about this.

"Whoa, K-Keith!"

"That came out of nowhere!"

"Dang it! You beat me to it."

"La-Sai, What are you doing?"

"You betrayed our people. I cannot live this lie anymore."

Ayame smiled at La-Sai, seeing he was the only Olkari that worked with Lubos who was willing to make it right before Keith spoke up.

"You don't want anything to happen to your genius engineer, right?"

However, Branko and Varek couldn't care less.

"Oh, be my guest. His work is done. The cube is complete."

"What? But-but I thought we had a deal!"

"We did. But a deal is only as good as the man who makes it. And as I recall, _you're_ the one made that gambit."

Then, Varek prepared a purple energy blade before he lunged at Keith and Lubos as he shouted, only to be blocked by Jenny's white chain blade which now acted as a sword although it still retained its ideal form.

"Now, do you believe me?!"

Lubos nodded quickly before she shoved Varek away to where he previously stood before he smirked.

"That won't help you, you know. Put them all out of their misery."

Then, suddenly, a blue laser shot through the walls, splitting one room with the drones and the other with the Paladins away. As a result, a hole appeared in the wall with the Green Lion peeking in as Pidge spoke.

"Your ride is here!"

"Oh, thanks Pidge."

As they went on the Green Lion, Varek saw an opportunity as the drones fired.

"Ah, what better way to test this weapon than against Voltron?"

"I like the way you think. Engage the cube! Take down the lion!"

By the time the order was carried out, the group had already secured Lubos and La-Sai when they noticed the cube rising as Jenny spoke up before Shiro and Pidge.

"Um, guys? It's rising up!"

"The cube is operational! We've got to get back to the lions and form Voltron!"

"On it!"

With that, the Green Lion took off to the forest, away from the cube.

* * *

Then, Keith shoved Lubos to the ground as the Olkari grew surprised, Ryner most of all.

"Lubos..."

"What's going on?"

Shiro and Ayame explained the situation as Jenny made a callback that the Olkari never heard of.

"While your countrymen starved, King Lubos was well taken care of by the Galra."

"He willingly helped them build that cube, willingly helped to enslave his own people!"

"Just like Prince John!"

The Olkari grew confused at Jenny's reference before she summed it up.

"You know, from Robin Hood? Take from the rich, give to the poor?"

Despite this, the group grew confused.

"Never mind."

With that, Shiro spoke up again to them.

"I know you're devastated, but it's time to be strong and use your Olkari spirit to fight alongside Voltron and take back your planet!"

"Yeah! All hail the power of Democracy!"

Then, Ayame tapped Jenny's shoulder to lower the hype.

"I think they got the message."

"Yeah. Just got pumped for a minute back there."

Then, Ryner glared at Lubos.

"Lubos, how could you?"

"I... I was only trying to—"

Ayame gripped Lubos by his collar before she spoke to him.

"We'll get to you later."

Then, she chucked Lubos to the floor before Ryner spoke to the people.

"We must free our people!"

* * *

With that, the Olkari cheered before the Paladins formed Voltron while Ayame and Jenny activated the White Voltron and Lapis the Violet Voltron. Then, they hovered above to see the cube moving in towards their position although it remained in the ground.

"All right, team, let's take that thing down!"

"Right!"

Then, the cube shot a purple beam at them as they avoided it.

"Form shield!"

Then, Voltron created a shield before it blocked the blasts as Keith had an idea.

"Let's see how tough this magic cube is."

Then, Ayame knew what type of cube it was from Jenny's hands and knew what it was.

"Hold on, guys. I wouldn't—"

It was too late. Keith had fired the blast at the cube before it absorbed it and fired it back at the Voltron Force as Pidge and Ayame spoke.

"Did it just absorb our lasers?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you before. The weapon is a giant echo cube. It takes what attack we have and fires it back."

Then, Shiro had an idea, making Jenny worried.

"We need firepower! Hunk, use your blaster!"

"Didn't you guys hear what she just said? It'll just fire it back at us!"

Shiro explained the reason for this order only to earn Jenny's reluctant answer.

"It's gotta have some pressure point built into it."

"Alright, but if we get pelted by blue lasers, I'm calling the shots."

Then, Hunk used his bayard to form a shoulder cannon and fired it directly at the cube which appeared to be breaking apart.

"Yeah, I think it's working!"

However, they were proven wrong as the laser fired back at them before the White Voltron got in the way and used its particle barrier.

"I... told you... so!"

"We can't just sit here. We've got to move!"

"You better hurry! The barrier's not looking too good!"

Then, the barrier just broke apart before it could move and shoved both Voltrons away as they screamed, making Lance and Keith worried.

"Jenny!"

"Ayame!"

Then, Voltron took off as the White Voltron was impaired. Lapis saw this and used the Violet Voltron to look after them while Voltron took on the cube before she spoke and Ayame and Jenny replied.

"You guys alright?"

"Yeah, Lapis. We're fine."

"Although, I think I've got a concussion."

"You'll live. Guys, I'll keep an eye on the White Voltron until they recover. You better figure out how to stop that thing."

With that, Shiro looked for suggestions before Lance spoke up.

"So, how do we beat it?"

"Well, maybe if we form our sword, we can cut through the surface and hack right into the center thinking point place?"

Lapis has her doubts while Keith agreed to it.

"Is that even gonna work?"

"Can't be any worse than what's happening now."

Settling on the idea, Shiro spoke up.

"Let's do it. Form sword!"

Then, Voltron formed a sword before dodging the cube's blasts and cleaving it in half as Pidge spoke up in relief.

"It's working!"

However, the cube began to act like two different beings as purple lines went around the two of them before Shiro spoke.

"It's still operational! Re-engage!"

Then, Voltron sliced through the two cubes into four as they went down and Hunk spoke up.

"We did it! They're going down!"

However, Hunk was proven wrong as they acted functional again and swarmed to Voltron like flies, catching Lance's worry.

"Uh-oh!"

Then, the cubes shot two purple lights, an orange light, and a blue light before they shot at Voltron from all sides as he blocked and dodged them with Shiro giving the order.

"We've got to move! Move!"

Voltron took off for the air, only for one cube to block it and end up shooting at it point blank in the shield before another shot at its back.

"We can't fight them like this! We need to split up! Back into lions!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Branko and Varek watched as the cube assaulted the lions.

"It seems the weapon is useful after all."

"Excellent. Neither of the Voltrons stand any chance against my weapon. Soon, I'll have both the cube and the Voltrons to present to Emperor Zarkon."

"Your weapon, Branko? I do believe it was Lubos' design, even if he was a pushover. Though, it is fitting to see his very creation destroy the planet it's founded upon."

* * *

Far away, Lance tried to counter them.

"Let's see if I can freeze these guys!"

Lance fired a beam of ice at it, only for it to freeze the Blue Lion's face.

"Oh, no! So cold, so cold!"

Then, Keith melted the ice enough for it to break away from the Blue Lion and get Lance back in the fight.

"Oh, oh. Thanks, Keith."

"You got it."

As the cubes swarmed them, Hunk spoke up to his leader.

"Shiro, what are we going to do?"

"There doesn't seem to be any way to stop them, but we can't let this weapon get into Zarkon's hands!"

Then, Varek smirked before he prepared dark lightning from his hand, causing the Paladins to see him.

"Wait a tick. What's Varek doing?"

Then, he shouted as he shot at the cubes, which absorbed the dark lightning and shot them at the Paladins, hitting the Green Lion and causing Pidge to scream as the Dark Quintessence siphoned its functions, worrying Shiro.

"Pidge!"

Far away, Lapis, Ayame, and Jenny saw this and grew mortified.

"No!"

The Olkari saw the Green Lion falling and ran to its aid as Ryner spoke.

"The Green Lion's in trouble!"

* * *

Far away, Pidge has crash-landed to the forest as she got a headache while Hunk tried to reach her.

"Pidge! Are you okay?"

Unfortunately, there wasn't any response before Ryner spoke to her telepathically, causing Pidge to wake up with a groan before she spoke.

" _Pidge, can you hear me?"_

"Yeah. I can hear you. Wait. How am I hearing you?"

" _That's not important right now. We need to get your lion back up and running. I think we can heal your lion's body, but you must bond with its spirit if it is to fly again."_

"But I thought we bonded already."

" _Your bond must be stronger."_

Pidge then tried to get the Green Lion working as she spoke.

"Come on, girl. I need you."

" _Remember what I said. You, the lions, the Olkari... We are all made of the same essence."_

Then, as she focused and closer her eyes, Pidge could hear the other Paladins' voices with Shiro and Keith speaking first.

"Where are you, Pidge? We need you!"

"Pidge!"

As the Paladins groaned in pain from being struck with Dark Quintessence blasts, Pidge connected with the Green Lion thanks to the Olkari and her lion roared as it was restored, making Lapis, Jenny, and Ayame look over to the source.

"Whoa! What happened?"

"Pidge just brought it back to life!"

"But how?"

Pidge felt it was simple science as she responded to them with Lapis speaking next to her afterward.

"Actually, I made a stronger bond with Green."

"That's good. Now, go help the team! I'll help Jenny and Ayame recover."

"Right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the cubes knocked the lions to the ground and prepared to strike before the Green Lion arrived on the scene, making the Paladins lookup in relief.

"Guys, hang on!"

"Pidge!"

Meanwhile, Jenny and Ayame look out of their Lion to see Varek during Dark Quintessence blasts as Jenny looked to her.

"Wait. You don't think—?"

Ayame nodded to her before she called out to Lapis.

"Lapis, see if you can go after Varek. If the cubes communicate with him from far away, he has to be disconnected."

"Got it."

Then, as the Violet Voltron took off for Varek, the Green Lion sped around the cubes, making Hunk surprised at its sudden agility.

"Whoa, Pidge! What's going on? You're booking!"

"I'm not sure, but I feel more connected with my lion than ever!"

Then, the Green Lion took off to the air before forming a cannon on its back and fired a green laser from the Green Lion before it hit the cube. With that, it suddenly grew vines and got tangled in it before it fell, impressing Lance while Pidge got in the moment.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?"

"Circle up, everybody! Get some of this!"

With that, the rest of the cubes were dispatched and fell to the ground, covered in vines as Hunk chuckled.

"Vines... Well, that is not the way I thought a giant cube of death would go down."

* * *

At the station, Branko and Varek noticed the cubes were disabled.

"No!"

"Curse those wretched Paladins!"

Then, a soldier came in and spoke to them.

"Commander, we have to evacuate. The cube is down, and the Olkari have taken back the city."

Branko growled before Varek stopped him and shot a blast through his chest, knocking him unconscious as he glared at the soldier.

"The citizens would expect to find only one of us in the wreckage."

Then, the soldier smiled at Varek.

"Has the fire been lit?"

"Indeed. The Fire of Purification rises..."

Then, Varek and the soldier teleported away before the Violet Voltron got to the central command station, only to find Branko unconscious with Dark Quintessence sparking around him before Lapis spoke to Jenny and Ayame over the transmitter.

"Varek's gone, but the other guy's out cold."

"That's weird."

"What for?"

"I don't know. But I doubt it's anything good."

* * *

Later, the Olkari were back in the city as Ryner thanked them.

"I want to thank you all. You helped us get our home back. And, for that, we will never be able to repay you."

Shiro thought of one way they could help.

"Just promise me that when it's time to take the fight to Zarkon or Kaecilius, we can count on the Olkari for help."

"Now and forever."

Then, Ryner turned to Pidge, Ayame, and Jenny as the last two stood by her.

"And you... The spirit of the Olkari resides in you. The bond between you and your lions have grown stronger than ever."

"Without you, I never would've unlocked my lion's hidden power."

Then, Jenny thought about a certain 'Prince John'.

"Hey, wait a minute. What about Lubos?"

With that, Ryner motioned to him put in stocks as she spoke.

"He's confined to the stocks as punishment for what he'd done to us. It'll be a short sentence, but rest assured, no one will ever follow him again."

* * *

At the Castle, Allura, Azix, Babak, Zaltron, and Coran has received the news of their trip on Olkarion as the bodyguard and the Princess spoke.

"So, you've connected with your lion and defeated the weapon?"

"Well done, Pidge."

Pidge smiled at this before she spoke of how the events changed her for the better.

"You know, it's weird. I've always been a tech junkie. That's how I connected with the world. But, for the first time, I feel connected to everything. I guess it's like Ryner said. We're all made up of the same cosmic dust."

Then, Keith had an epiphany of his own, catching Ayame and Lapis' attention even as the others turned to him.

"So, that means we're all related. This ship, those stars, the Olkari. Even the Galra."

Ayame and Lapis grew stricken with newfound faith and hope while the others grew confused before Hunk spoke.

"Uh-oh. I think Keith just blew his own mind."

Then, Ayame walked toward Keith before she spoke.

"Well, he blew my mind, too."

Then, as Keith smiled, Lapis began to blow steam out of her ears before she spoke as Jenny tapped on her shoulder.

"Well, uh, he blew my mind three!"

"Uh, are you jealous, Lapis?"

"What? Me? Jealous? Of her? No, that's crazy."

"It's alright. You can admit it. I know what that's like. Did you honestly forget what I almost did to Nyma and Rolo?"

"Oh. Right."

Then, Jenny whispered to Lapis' ear.

"Look, maybe she didn't know you got a thing for him. But, if it helps, I've got a theory."

What's that?"

"If we're all made up of the same cosmic dust, that makes you Keith's big sister."

Then, Lapis' mouth hung open like a window as the group laughed except for Keith and Ayame who were confused by her logic as Jenny spoke.

"What?"

"Well, that was a productive trip. Look at all these cubes they gave me!"

Then, Coran tosses one up into the air, causing it to split into eight smaller ones that hovered in the air.

"Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!"

"Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!"

Jenny and Babak grew annoyed with Coran's voice before they spoke intermittently.

"Give it a rest already!"

Then, they both covered their mouths before the cubes spoke in their voices.

"Give it a rest already!"

Then, Hunk made a fart noise, to which the cubes copied before they laughed. However, their reprieve didn't last as they received an alarm as Coran and the Olkari cubes spoke.

"What's that?"

"What's that?"

Then, Zarkon's command center and two whole flanks of Galra Fighters arrived in front of them before Coran and the cubes spoke again.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, no."


	18. The Perfect Storm

**Chapter 17:** The Perfect Storm

At the Castle, the group were surprised to see Zarkon's command center in their orbit as the Olkari cube recombined to one before falling back into Coran's hands as Allura and Lapis spoke.

"Zarkon! How did he find us?"

"It must've been Varek. He's escaped just to tell them we've been on Olkarion."

"We need to wormhole, now! Everyone to your stations. We've got to put some distance between us and Zarkon. This could be the fight of our lives."

Everyone got to their chairs before their own monitors activated and the fighters began attacking them as Hunk spoke.

"That's sure a lot of fighters."

As they took notice, Shiro turned to the Princess.

"Allura, can you evade these fighters? We can't have them following us through the wormhole."

"I can try."

Then, Allura sped up the Castle before it produced a particle barrier and sprouted three defense drones around it while Shiro then turned to Keith and Lance.

"Keith, Lance, let's lay down some covering fire."

Then, as the Castle shook, Shiro stumbled for a moment as Ayame helped him up.

"Hang in there, Takashi."

With that, Shiro got his focus back and shot at the fighters as Pidge saw an incoming fighter above them.

"Lance, incoming, 12 o'clock high!"

"Got it!"

Then, Keith's drone bumped into Lance's, causing him to miss the fighter.

"Hey!"

"Sorry! Gotta be quick!"

Lance then bumped his drone back at Keith's before they bumped each other repeatedly.

"How's that for quick?"

"You..."

Belle had had enough of their rivalry and barked at them.

"Now's not the time for your stupid rivalry! We need to get out of here!"

With that, Shiro spoke to his team.

"Keep calling out those fighters, Pidge. Hunk, how are the defenses holding?"

"I don't know. Ten percent? Fifteen maybe? Everything's a blur. I've been up too long. I have tired eyes!"

"I know we just came off an intense battle, but we've got to stay focused, just until we jump."

Sandra was getting impatient on that just as Coran brought up bad news.

"And how long is that gonna take?!"

"They're still too close! We need to gain more speed!"

"I've got an idea. Hold on!"

Then, Allura propelled the Castle towards the moon before she sped it up, leaving Ayame worried about the turbulence as she spoke.

"Allura, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to use this moon's gravity to gain speed and put some distance between us and Zarkon."

Jenny felt dizzy from this as well as she shouted.

"You could've warned us first!"

Then, they felt the pressure of the gravity as most of the group held on, save for Jenny, who rolled around like a pinball hitting the pods as Coran spoke.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"We're clear to wormhole!"

Then, Allura opened the wormhole before they went into it with Zarkon glaring at where they had gone, focusing on getting his daughter back.

Meanwhile, in the wormhole, the Paladins were faced with another alarm as Lance spoke while Babak checked it out.

"We got away from Zarkon, how come we're still on alert?"

"The Teludav lenses are self-destructing! Which means we're about to exit this wormhole a lot sooner than we like!"

This was proven as the wormhole took them to a field of iceberg debris as Lance spoke.

"Whoa. Where are we? Looks like some sort of iceberg graveyard."

Jenny, who was still recovering from being a human pinball, blurred out her words.

"Let's not be Titanic, though, okay?"

Then, Jenny laid down on the floor in her dizziness as Allura had an exhaustion of her own.

"Coran, what's the status?"

"Checking that now. We didn't make it to our exit point, but we're several galaxies away from Zarkon's fleet."

Just then, Allura collapsed on top of Jenny, causing her to wheeze out like air out of a pool out as Coran and the others grew worried for her.

"Allura!"

Then, as soon as she was able to move, Jenny looked toward Allura and checked her forehead for temperature.

"You doing alright?"

"I'll... I'll be fine."

Ayame and Coran had their doubts about it, however.

"Are you sure? That last wormhole took a lot out of you."

"You must rest. You've been exerting way too much energy. I'll go check on the main turbine and figure out what's going—"

Suddenly, Coran took off like a rocket and smashed into the wall, leaving a wet trail behind him, making Jenny worried.

"Whoa! Are _you_ okay, Coran? And where did that water come from?"

Coran felt his head after bumping it before he answered.

"I'm fine. Look, I tell you what, I've probably hit a slippery spot on the ground there. So, someone, please, wipe that up there!"

Allura knew what was going on.

"You're sweating. You might have a case of the slipperies."

"The what now?"

Babak then gave out the details of it, much to Jenny's worry.

"A natural disease that makes Alteans slippery in their older years. I've had my case about 10 decaphoebs before Zarkon invaded Altea."

"Disease?! So I'm gonna be slippery, too?!"

"Only in your older years. Until then, you'll be fine."

The group became grossed out while Jenny moaned as Coran countered.

"What? No! No, that's an old person virus, and I'm not old. I'm young. Well, young-ish."

Jenny tried to find good news about it as she spoke.

"Can you please tell me how long it lasts?"

"It's not harmful and usually only lasts a couple of days."

"Phew! Well, that's a relief. But still... my whole body being so slippery for a couple of days? Ew! So gross!"

"Yes, it is gross, so it's a good thing I don't have it!"

Pidge was about to spew when Jenny got out a paper bag and handed it to Pidge who immediately upchucked into it as Allura tried to help Coran feel better while Babak spoke more directly about the issue.

"Coran, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I'm not embarrassed because I don't have it!"

"Just take it like a man and admit it."

"Never! And, now, I'm actually going to leave because I've got to fix the main turbine!"

Coran tried to walk out, but couldn't, due to the sweat that was on the floor until he slid out the hallway.

"Quiznak!"

Then, Jenny began to smile.

"Well, at least there's one upside to the slipperies: instant water slide."

Shiro then spoke to the others about the important issue, only to earn Ayame and Jenny's different opinions.

"All right. Since Zarkon has no idea where we are, this is the perfect time to focus on our next step. Maybe we can find that secret group, the Blade of Marmora."

"I don't think that's the best idea right now. Everyone's still recovering from Olkarion _and_ Zarkon's attack."

"Yeah! And I was literally a human pinball!"

Then, Coran spoke to them on the monitor, impressing Pidge.

"Hello, all. I've checked the engines."

"That was fast."

"Well, I slipped right down—"

Then, Coran slipped and hit his head before he corrected himself.

"I mean, I hurried down. Anyway, the good news is, the Galra fighters did minimal damage. I flushed the turbine and it's fine."

Ayame was more concerned about the bad part.

"And the bad news?"

"The teludav, or wormholer as you Earthlings call it, is in bad shape. Several scaultrite lens-stones of the magnifying beam generator are cracked. As you know, the magnifying beam generator uses a crystal to convert Altean energy into usable fuel. That supplies the power needed to wormhole. Well, anyway, I need to remove the cracked lenses and readjust their trajectory temporarily until we can replace them. I'll also need to divert power to make up for the lost energy. It's going to take at least a quintant."

Due to Coran's slippery situation, Hunk was about to barf but stopped himself when Jenny glared at him as Shiro spoke.

"All right, we'll hide the ship and get some rest while Coran comes up with a work-around. Tomorrow, we'll be sharper and refocused."

With that, everyone went out of the main hangar with Ayame feeling uncertain.

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny and Lance were going to the elevator in their swimwear before Keith stopped the elevator for him and Lapis. While Jenny and Lapis were happy to see each other, Keith and Lance felt the opposite.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey."

Lance wasn't really in the mood as he spoke to Keith before Lapis spoke for him.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Allura said there was a pool, so we decided to check it out."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Same thing."

This made Jenny think about someone else.

"But where's Ayame?"

Lapis widened her eyes before she pondered it herself.

"Oh, yeah. Where is she? I've got a few words for her."

"Would they be 'stay away from my crush!'?"

As Jenny giggled from her words, Lapis growled.

"I'm not jealous!"

Keith explained the situation to Lapis.

"She told me she just wanted to get some sleep. And she also told me the pool's a bit unconventional."

"Really? How?"

Jenny smiled to herself as she spoke.

"You'll just have to find out when we get there."

"Look, you guys stay on one side of the pool and we'll stay on the other, and we'll be far, far away from each other. Very... far... away."

"Cool. Maybe we can do some volleyball there."

Then, the lights in the elevator went out, much to the group's surprise before Jenny yelled and clutched onto Lance. Then, as she laughed nervously, the rest of the group sighed.

* * *

At Keith's quarters, Ayame was struggling to get some good sleep as she heard Zarkon's voice.

" _Xaira..."_

Then, she saw a flash of his face before she woke up startled and breathed heavily, clutching onto her chest. Then, she walked to the bathroom and tried to wash her face to wake herself up before she heard him again.

" _Xaira..."_

Then, Ayame looked to the mirror and saw Zarkon's face in the mirror as she staggered back in a panic.

"Zarkon?! Why are you here?! Wait. How are you here...?"

"That is of no consequence. No matter where you are, I will find you, my daughter."

"Why can't you leave us alone?! What did we ever do to you?!"

"Perhaps you should ask your Altean friends. They will tell you, won't they?"

Then, Ayame began to get the hint that Allura, Babak, and Coran have been keeping secrets as of late. After all, they hadn't known Zarkon was the Black Paladin before now. However, she also got the sense she's being manipulated.

"Why even bother telling me this?"

"Because I do care for you, my daughter. Because I need you and Voltron."

"I will never join you, Zarkon, if that's what you're trying to make me do."

"Believe what you want, but you are still my daughter. That will never change."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandra, Hunk, and Pidge were at the kitchen as he was making glass cookies, catching their attention as Pidge spoke before Sandra.

"I thought you were exhausted."

"Yeah. Why are you making cookies?"

"Because baking clears my head, guys. Okay? I thought you were gonna help Coran with the wormholer."

"One mention of the slipperies and he got all sensitive and kicked me out."

Then, Pidge picked up a can with the Altean language and couldn't understand it.

"I hate not being able to read Altean. What is this stuff? Are you sure you're making food?"

"You're gonna try and tell me that these aren't cookies?"

Hunk took a bite of one, only for his teeth to break and cause Hunk to groan as he hit the wall in agony.

"Okay, I might have overcooked them."

Then, Pidge and Sandra started to leave.

"Wait, where are you guys going? You don't want to wait for the next batch?"

Sandra then replied as he walked out.

"It's not even real food, Hunk."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny, Lapis, Lance, and Keith had their backs against each other and their legs going up with Jenny linked to Lapis above Keith and Lance as Keith spoke to him.

"It's right, then left. You're off."

"You're off! And shoving too hard!"

"You're not shoving hard enough!"

Lapis and Jenny weren't fans of their arguments before, and they're no fans of it now.

"You know, this would go a lot faster if you weren't arguing in the first place."

"Yeah, it's getting annoying."

Lance then started to complain, earning the remainder of the groups' reprimanding request.

"I should be at the pool right now!"

"Would you stop whining?"

Then, Jenny noticed an air vent.

"Huh? Guys, look!"

They all looked to see the air vent before Jenny kicked it open and the girls went in before the boys followed. As they went down, Jenny laughed while Lance screamed before the four of them got out of the vent and landed on the ground to see the pool upside-down, shocking Lance while Lapis shrugged and Keith growled.

"What the heck?"

"Well, she did warn us."

"Stupid Altean pools."

"It's okay, guys. Look."

Then, Jenny ran under the pool, only to be sucked up and make a splash that went back to the pool. As she popped up and giggled, the three of them hung their mouths open.

"Come on, you guys! The water's breathable here!"

* * *

Later, Ayame was walking through the halls and saw Babak.

"Uh, Babak?"

"Hmm? Oh. Ayame. Why aren't you resting?"

"I tried, but I just... couldn't."

"I'll bet Allura knows what you're going through."

Then, she had a question in her mind that she needed to get out.

"Babak... what did we ever do to deserve this?"

Babak thought he could tell she just wanted to be back home and tried to comfort her.

"Ayame... the path to the right always gets more difficult as time passes. We few Alteans are no stranger to that."

"That's not what I meant."

"What?"

"Zarkon has to have a reason why he's attacking us. Vile and despicable as he is, the Galra aren't without reason."

"How can you be so sure? They've taken you and your brother away from Earth, without consent I might add. To top it off, they're trying to bring the universe to its knees. The Galra aren't what they were 10,000 years ago. Now, they're pure evil."

Then, Ayame gasped harshly, considering that Lapis, Azix, and Zaltron stayed in the Castle with them and wanted to help Voltron, before she snapped.

"How can you say that?! There's no such thing as pure evil! It's because of people like Alfor, people like _you_ that made the Galra Empire take such drastic measures! You're discriminatory!"

"Well, can you blame me?! Zarkon had us convinced he'd destroyed Altea, only to enslave it and its creatures!"

"It's better than what could've happened to your people."

"Are you mad?! Our people would rather die than be slaves!"

"How did you think the Galra felt?! For all I know, you could've destroyed _their_ homeworld!"

"WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE!"

That caught Ayame off guard as she was surprisingly right about that.

"So you did destroy it..."

"Regrettably, yes. But it was the only way."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You saw the effects of Dark Quintessence. But you don't know _when_ it started. When the comet landed on Daibazaal, Alfor and his team found Alphus holding onto it. After Alfor took her in, the two grew close together like Brother and Sister. During that time, the team had lifted the comet away from its landing crater and saw another reality that was filled with life itself. But it was also filled with death, as she described it. Soon, creatures comprised of Dark Quintessence attacked Daibazaal, urging Alfor to create the five lions of Voltron whilst Kaecilius, a close friend of mine, constructed the Violet Lion, and Alphus, the White Lion. After the creatures' defeat, Zarkon insisted on continuing their work on the rift. Alfor tried to reach out to him, but he had been too exposed to think clearly. They wanted to expand the rift and rule the entire universe. Then, one day, his wife became ill after Alphus and Zarkon's argument. That day, he'd deceived his team into expanding the rift and giving her Quintessence. Then came the Darkness. It swallowed both Zarkon and his loved one before corrupting them. We never realized this and assumed the both of them had succumbed. As the rift grew, so did the danger of Dark Quintessence overcoming the universe. We had to evacuate the Galra before we destroyed Daibazaal and the rift. It was... the hardest thing we've ever had to do."

Then, Ayame began to have mixed feelings. One of sadness for what had happened on both sides, and anger toward the events that had led to this point.

"You still think you did the right thing?"

"Before, I did. But now, I'm not certain anymore."

Then, Ayame held her head down before speaking.

"I see. See you later."

With that, Ayame walked to the main hangar as Babak looked toward her.

"I truly am sorry."

Then, Ayame stopped in her tracks before looking back and speaking to him.

"Me, too."

Then, she continued walking before Babak made a grievous sigh.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge sat in a criss-cross applesauce position while Sandra watched as the computer spoke.

"Welcome to Altean introductory."

"Awesome! I'm finally gonna learn the Altean language!"

"Level, beginner. Safety, off."

"Safety? That's weird."

Then, Sandra had a memory come back to when Lapis tried to learn about Altea's language.

"Oh, no. Pidge, you better not get any wrong answers. Lapis used it last and forgot to turn the safety back on."

"Uh, okay?"

Then, the computer showed a bear with a flower on its head.

"Klanmüirl."

"Klan-mural."

Then, the computer beeped before the creature put in an angry face.

"Hm? Uh, what's that?"

"That's what I tried to tell you. Every time you get it wrong, you'll be most likely to kick the bucket."

"Klanmüirl."

"Klan-mirl?"

Then, it beeped before it began to bare its teeth and roar at Pidge.

"Klanmüirl! Klanmüirl!"

Then, the creature sat back down before retreating. Pidge sighed before another creature appeared.

"Huh?"

The next creature was one Sandra knew well since it helped the team reclaim Jenny and get back to the team.

"Hey, I know that guy!"

"Xznly Squiwl."

"Oh, quiznak."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro and Belle were looking out for the Galra Empire as they had a talk.

"Shiro? Are you sure Ayame's okay?"

"What do you mean?"

Belle: "I mean... is she really safe from Xaira? I mean, she could be the reason Zarkon found us in the first place for all we know."

Shiro immediately got defensive and snapped at her.

"Don't call my sister a traitor."

"I never said that, Shiro. It may not have been her choice. It wasn't mine when I worked for Kaecilius. She's been through a lot, Shiro. Far worse than we ever went through. You've got to take that into context."

Just then, Ayame walked in toward Belle and Shiro with tears in her eyes.

"Takashi..."

"Ayame. What's wrong?"

Then, Ayame hugged Shiro tightly before she sobbed on him.

"I'm so scared... first our mother is gone and now this? When is this going to end?"

Shiro hugged her back as he pulled her in closer.

"I don't know. But we do know how it needs to be done. The Galra Empire has to be stopped."

After what she went through, Ayame knew that it wasn't the empire's fault it committed those acts. But before she could speak her mind, Allura walked into the hangar, confusing the group as Ayame and Shiro spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

"You should be resting."

"I cannot sleep. Zarkon is out there. He's searching for us."

Allura tried to search the map before Shiro stopped her arm.

"I know how you feel, but you have to step away for a while. It's what's best for everyone."

Then, in an instant, another alarm went off before Zarkon's command center appeared before Allura spoke.

"We are several galaxies away. How could they find us so soon?"

* * *

Then, Zarkon's command center unleashed multiple fighters which attacked the icebergs and tipped the Castle, causing Hunk to drop a batch of blue glass cookies to the floor.

"Oh, no! My good batch!"

* * *

At the pool, Jenny, Lapis, Keith, and Lance were spilled out into the ground before they went back to the pool as Jenny stated her surprise.

"What the quiznak was that?!"

* * *

As for Pidge, she had to be pulled by Sandra out of the simulation's mouth before it disappeared, earning the latter's puzzlement.

"That's weird. What's going on?"

* * *

At the main hangar, Allura activated the Castle's barrier before speaking to Coran on the monitor as Babak, Azix, and Zaltron arrived.

"Particle barrier up!"

"We heard the alarms from all over the Castle, princess!"

"What is going on?"

"Zarkon found us again. Coran, are you there?"

"I'm here! Whoa! Over here! Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Zarkon is attacking us. What's our status?"

"Wormholing will be a problem. The lenses haven't been readjusted! I don't know if the teludav will generate enough power."

"Do everything you can!"

Then, the other Paladins arrived as Lance panicked.

"They found us again? How is that possible? Is that possible? That doesn't seem possible!"

Then, Jenny smacked Lance to snap him out of it before Allura spoke.

"We'll work out the realm of possibility later!"

"Right now, we must figure out a way to get out of here."

Keith had another idea to go about it.

"Or we can stay and fight. Now's our chance. Now's our chance. Form Voltron. Enough running!"

"It's too dangerous!"

Ayame only spoke in favor of Keith.

"Maybe, but Keith's right. I'm sick of waiting for this to end. We have to make that happen!"

Shiro then spoke up to ease her temper.

"Ayame, I agree with you, but Allura's right, too. We can't take on the entire fleet by ourselves, let alone Zarkon. Remember what happened at his command center. We wouldn't have escaped if the Blade of Marmora hadn't shut down the shield."

Then, Coran gave his reports as he slipped through the room.

"The turbine's up. Still working on the worm—"

Then, he screamed as he finally hit the floor and his head before lying on it with his stomach.

"Uh, guys. I think I'm realizing now that I do, in fact, have a case of the slipperies. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Pidge. I may need your help, after all."

With that, Pidge felt a bit grossed out before she spoke with Shiro giving an order.

"I'm coming down."

"Let's clear a path."

Then, the Castle began to move off of the iceberg as it moved along with the fighters following them. The drones shot at the fighters that followed as it happened with Keith looking out for Lance.

"Lance, there's a fighter advancing on your nine!"

"Thanks for the heads-up! And you've got one going for the lower barrier!"

Then, the red drone noticed this and shot at that one.

"Good eye!"

* * *

With that, Pidge got to Coran and did what was required of her, even concerning the slipperies.

"What can I do?"

"Help me divert power. Slide me to that monitor. Wipe my sweat!"

* * *

As the fighters closed in, Lance saw his mark.

"Okay, buddy, you're mine."

Then, Lance's station began malfunctioning and shut down.

"What's going on? I lost control of my defense drone!"

Seeing this, Keith spoke up to him.

"I got you covered! Uh, I don't got you. Oh, there must be a system failure."

Pidge then spoke up, only to earn Lance and Sandra's critique.

"Nope, that was us! We're diverting power from non-essential systems to get the wormhole generator working."

"Shooting bad guys is pretty essential!"

"Yeah, I thought you're supposed to be a genius!"

Then, the Castle's functions seemed to have diminished as Hunk and Lapis spoke.

"We lost secondary controls! Thermal regulator's offline! Oh, no, there goes the particle barrier!"

"Great! Now we're sitting ducks!"

However, Ayame hasn't lost faith in her.

"Not yet. We can get out of this."

Then, Coran pulled the lever to activate it.

"Okay, try it! It should be enough to make one very small jump... I hope."

Then, Allura activated the Castle's wormhole generator as Pidge pondered of its strength and Coran chimed in.

"Is it gonna hold?"

"I guess we're about to find out."

Then, a blue wormhole appeared in front of them.

"The wormhole's open!"

Then, the Castle went in the wormhole before it vanished as the fighters scrambled. However, it also did damage to the scaultrite lens-stones.

"Oh, no! The lenses are breaking down even more! We'll be out of the wormhole even sooner this time!"

Then, the Castle got out of the wormhole and stopped at a cosmic storm as the team caught their breath as Shiro spoke.

"Zarkon keeps finding us. It's like they know how to track us down. Maybe he planted some kind of tracking device."

Allura looked at the ship and didn't find anything, concerning Ayame before Shiro put their focus on their mission.

"Well, it is nothing on the ship. The Castle would've detected any tracking devices."

"But how is he finding us without them?"

"I don't know. But until we figure out exactly how they're doing it, we should assume that they could show up at any minute. So, stay alert."

Then, Hunk was found to be snoring before he popped his own bubble and woke up startled.

"Oh, man! What's going on? What are you guys doing? What are you looking at?"

Sandra then put her hands on his shoulders, making him relax before she spoke.

"Chill out, Hunk. You just woke yourself up snoring."

"My bad."

Shiro then focused on Coran as he spoke.

"Coran, what's our status? Any good news?"

Coran answered as he skated about like an ice skater.

"Actually, there is a bit of good news. I'm finally getting used to the slipperies. My mucus glands are working at an incredible rate!"

Shiro put on an annoyed look before correcting himself.

"Any good news on the teludav?"

"I'm afraid not. The last jump overloaded the lens-stones. Now, even more of them are broken. I'm going to try some readjustments to change the beam trajectory. Until then, wormholing away will be impossible."

Then, Pidge had an idea that she hoped would work.

"Hey, there's a giant metallic storm ahead of us. I think we can hide in the eye of the storm. It should give off enough interference so we can't be tracked."

"It's worth a shot."

Then, the Castle went in the storm and descended into the eye as Allura spoke.

"Brilliant, Pidge. We're essentially invisible to any radar, radio waves, universal scans, or any other technology."

Then, its alarms blared before Zarkon's command center hovered above the Castle as Allura looked on in shock.

"No!"

At the command center, Zarkon was standing on the center platform as he was fueled by the Druids as Haggar spoke.

"I can't decipher Xaira's location. But I'm sure she's inside the Castle."

"Perfect. Send in the fighters. When they are within range, I will take control of the Black Lion and reclaim my daughter."

Then, the fighters scrambled toward the Castle.

Meanwhile, Pidge was surprised at their sudden arrival.

"Okay, I don't know how they found us, but it definitely wasn't with normal instruments."

Then, Ayame had this haunting feeling, as did Allura before they spoke up all at once.

"It's me."

Then, they looked to each other in confusion before they spoke again with Allura explaining herself.

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's been me all along. That's how they found us on planet Arus."

Then, they groaned as the Castle got blasted by the fighters.

"It doesn't matter, guys. We're in this together. We're gonna get out together."

Jenny saw this to be impossible.

"How do we do that? We're caught between a rock and a hard place."

"We need to form Voltron and go through the storm."

Lance and Hunk voted against that as the latter stammered.

"The storm? What are you, nuts?"

"Yeah! What do you mean? Yeah, why would we do that?"

"It's risky, I know, but it's our only chance. We have to go through the storm, then lure Zarkon's ship away, giving Allura some time to get into open space."

"Then what?"

"Then, we wormhole away. Coran, remember how you said getting this Castle to wormhole is impossible? Well, I need you to do the impossible."

Then, Sandra had an idea, much to Lance's confusion.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"Pidge, remember Hunk's cookies?"

"Yeah. They had a trace of scaultrite in them."

"Exactly. That means Hunk's terrible cookies are good for something after all."

* * *

Then, Hunk growled before the seven lions went out of the Castle and toward the fighters as Shiro spoke.

"Form Voltron!"

Then, the team forged the three Voltrons before Shiro spoke.

"Team, let's draw these fighters out!"

Then, the Voltron Force swerved to the right before the fighters followed them.

"I think it's working! They're following us!"

Meanwhile, at the Castle, Allura checked on Coran.

"How's it coming, Coran?"

"In order for this to work, each remaining lens-stone will need to take the equivalent of five beams!"

Sandra saw it as a bright side.

"Then it's a good thing Hunk didn't stop making them."

* * *

At the command center, Haggar couldn't find either Voltron in the storm.

"We lost them in the storm!"

"They won't be in there long."

* * *

As the three Voltrons flew through the storm, the fighters behind them were being hit.

"They can't follow us in the storm! It's tearing them apart!"

Then, the debris hit the White Voltron's barrier as it glowed while Jenny spoke.

"Yeah, but what about us?! _We'll_ be torn apart if we don't do something!"

"I've got you covered!"

Then, Lapis formed a shoulder cannon and shot out a purple beam at the objects around them before they all blew up. Then, Lapis took the hands of the remaining Voltrons and flew up.

"Hang on, guys! It's going to be tough!"

Then, they braved the harsh storm before the three of them popped out, only to see Zarkon's command center as Ayame spoke up.

"Now what?"

As Zarkon saw them, he felt Ayame inside the White Voltron before he spoke to Haggar.

"Bring me closer to the Black Lion and disable the White Voltron."

"Sire, we have the princess trapped. We can finish her now!"

However, Zarkon spoke for himself as he turned to Haggar.

"The Black Lion and my daughter are all that matters!"

Haggar hung her head down as an answer to his words before it went after the three of them.

* * *

At that moment, Allura saw a window of opportunity open up.

"Coran, here we go!"

Then, the Castle got out of the storm safely before Hunk spoke up.

"It worked! They escaped!"

Then, the team in Voltron, as well as the White one, felt a powerful surge and screamed in agony before the team tried to find out what was happening with Keith and Hunk speaking.

"What's going on?"

"My lion!"

Jenny saw Ayame in pain as well and grew mortified.

"Forget about the lions! Ayame's hurting, too!"

Shiro groaned before he found out what was happening.

"Zarkon... Zarkon's taking control of the Black Lion again! Fall back!"

As Voltron tried to escape, he couldn't move while Jenny tried to help Ayame.

Come on, Ayame. You can do this. Like you said, you have to end this!"

Then, as Ayame's eyes flared yellow to Jenny's surprise, Voltron and the Lions' eyes flared blue before an ion cannon hit the command center forcing Haggar's magic to fail at reclaiming Voltron and capturing Ayame as she fell with a thud to her chair.

"Ayame! Are you alright?"

Then, Ayame looked toward Jenny as she replied.

"I think I'm okay. I forgot how strong Haggar's magic was."

"I'm with you. I underestimated Zarkon's influence on the Black Lion, too."

This confused Jenny about another detail as she spoke.

"But who pulled the trigger to get us out?"

With that, Lapis got next to the other Voltrons as she spoke.

"You guys alright?"

Shiro answered her question as he spoke.

"For now, but we have to keep our distance or risk losing Voltron and Ayame. Let's disband and head back to the Castle."

With that, Sandra appeared on the transmission.

"Yeah, and you better hoof it, too. Because we're gonna need your help."

* * *

At the command center, Zarkon growled in angry desperation.

"Attack the Castle with everything we've got! Reclaim my daughter and capture Voltron!"

* * *

At the Castle, Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Jenny, Sandra, Belle, Lapis, and Ayame were in the generator whilst holding the glass cookies in a certain position as Ayame spoke.

"What exactly is the point of this, Coran?"

"The scaultrite cookies might be able to hold for one jump, but we needed several people physically holding them. And if my trajectories were just so..."

Jenny then got the gist as she spoke up.

"They should help make the wormhole open up and last longer, right?"

"Of course. You seem enthusiastic about our situation."

"Well, honestly, I did this jungle gym I liked so much once and it was just like this."

Hunk was enthusiastic about something else.

"It just warms my heart that people are enjoying my cookies."

Sandra, however, felt it unnecessary.

"For the last time, they're not food."

"Now, nobody move if you want to live."

Then, the Castle shook, making Lance panic.

"I think I moved! I think I moved!"

Then, Jenny lifted her leg a bit to tap Lance's hip.

"Relax, Lance. It's just some turbulence."

"Easy for you to say! This is just another jungle gym to you!"

Coran then spoke up to the Paladins as he slid out before Hunk stopped him.

"Okay, now, I'm going to monitor the beam from out there."

"Wait, Coran! How dangerous is this?"

Coran stood still before he spoke.

"Honestly, this is the most dangerous thing I've ever seen or heard of, but since we're probably going to die anyway, what the heck, let's give it a shot! Good luck, gentleman and gentleladies. It's been a pleasure. Don't touch the lasers!"

Then, the door closed before Hunk grew confused.

"Uh..."

Coran then spoke to Allura via transmission.

"They're in position!"

Then, the generator began to turn on, much to Lance's panic before Pidge tried to calm him down.

"Were gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!"

"Hold tight, Lance!"

Then, the lasers shot out as Lance screamed before it hit his cookie, only for it to neutralize the laser as Coran panicked.

"It's not working!"

"Coran, what's going on?! Zarkon's right on top of us!"

* * *

To prove this, Zarkon saw the Castle and gave an order.

"Fire the ion cannon!"

Then, Zarkon's ship charged its own ion cannon.

* * *

At the Castle, Coran tried to think of a plan.

"The stones aren't reflecting properly! I need something to shine them up!"

Then, Coran remembered the slipperies and came up with it.

"Oh. Wait a second. I think I've got it. Hit the wormhole in ten ticks!"

Then, Coran slipped in the generator with the Paladins while sliding his sweat into the stones as Allura counted down and Ayame unquoted of him.

"Ten..."

"What's happening?"

"...nine..."

"No one move! I've got to shine those stones! It's a good thing I've got the case of the slipperies!"

With that, Coran slipped and slided everywhere while shining their stones as Allura counted down.

"...six... five... four... three... two..."

Then, Coran noticed one more stone left by Hunk's feet.

"Huh?"

"...one!"

Then, the lasers began shooting everywhere as they struck the stones and reflected before Coran did one more slide and wiped his face on it, allowing the stone to be as reflective as the others. Finally, the wormhole opened up before the Castle went in and the portal vanished before the two ion cannon missed its mark and Zarkon grew annoyed that they've escaped.

At the Castle, Allura went in the generator room to check on the group.

"Great work, team! We made it! Huh?"

Then, she noticed the group was burned by the lasers (except for Jenny and Ayame) before Lance fell down.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Zarkon's command center, Haggar spoke to him.

"We were close, sire, but it appears they were able to make a full jump."

"There is no place in this universe beyond my vision's reach. Time is on my side. Set a course for Voltron."

* * *

At the Castle, Keith checked up on Ayame, who was in her bed.

"Hey."

"Hey, Keith."

Then, Keith took off his jacket and laid down on the bed beside her.

"Babak told me what you talked to him about. How did that start?"

Ayame felt it to be a touchy subject and tried to avoid it.

"I was... I was wondering about what happened to the Galra 10,000 years ago."

Keith, however, saw through her ruse and dig deeper.

"That may be what you tell yourself, but that's not the truth. Just give it to me straight so I can help you."

Ayame could go on further, but that'd rob her of some needed rest, so she finally went ahead.

"Alright. When I was resting... I saw Zarkon. He was trying to get in my head, make me feel small... What if... what if he's tracking us through me? I'm his daughter. What if he was just using me all this time?"

Afraid to even think of that possibility, Keith tried to calm her down.

"Hey, don't strain yourself. We can work it out in the morning. You've been through a lot today."

"I've been through a lot my whole life."

"Touché."

Then, Ayame giggled before Keith wrapped his arms around her.

"Good night, Ayame."

"Good night."

With that, the two of them fell asleep in their individual beds, not quite certain what next morning will bring.


	19. The Ark of Taujeer

**Chapter 18:** The Ark of Taujeer

It started when the Galra fleet held back a chubby alien robot whose eye glowed as it spoke.

Galra Drone: "Stay back."

Unknown: "You have already taken all our supplies and resources. My people are loaded on that ark, ready to leave our beloved home before it dissolved completely. Don't take our only means of escape."

However, the Galra commander didn't hear his plea.

Unknown: "You still have one engine left, Baujal. Not to mention a very viable collection of parts. If your people are strong enough to survive, they will. That is the Galra way."

Baujal grew infuriated with him and attempted to seize him, only to be stopped by the drones.

Baujal: "Morvok!"

Then, Morvok went back to the cruiser before taking off away from their potential tomb.

* * *

The next day at the Castle, Allura tried to get to the root of the tracking problem.

Allura: "There's no point in debating this further. Zarkon is clearly tracking us through me."

Lance: "Aww, space baloney."

Pidge: "That's not possible."

Allura: "Why would that be so hard to believe? Zarkon's forced showed up only after I awoke."

Lance: "She does have a point."

Ayame: "But it's not you, Allura. It's me."

Jenny: "Wha?"

Belle: "How can you say that?"

Jenny: "You crazy."

Ayame: "How do you think Haggar was able to get to me from so far away?"

Jenny: "That could mean anything. I mean, it's not like she saw where the Castle is. Right?"

Keith: "It's not you or the princess, Ayame. It's me."

Ayame grew confused at his suggestion.

Ayame: "What makes you think that?"

Keith: "I just think Zarkon must've imprinted on me during our fight or something."

Pidge: "Look, the fact is, we don't know how Zarkon or Kaecilius are tracking us. It could be through the Black Lion. Every time Zarkon gets close to it, Shiro has to fight him for control."

Babak: "That's absurd. This only happened when he was near the Black Lion."

Azix: "That's true. Although there are Paladins who shared the lions, no Paladin has ever attempted to connect to it over a vast distance."

Hunk: "So, what do we do?"

Shiro: "Look, It doesn't matter how he's tracking us."

Ayame: "And why not?"

Shiro: "Because we're gonna take the fight to the Galra soon enough. They've been chasing us from galaxy to galaxy. The last thing they expect is for us to come after them."

Lance: "The hunter becomes the hunted, huh? Awesome! That's the tag line from, like, six of my favorite movies."

Belle: "That's a good start, but where would we even begin to look?"

Pidge: "As it happens, I took our list of recent Galra attacks and analyzed it for both commonalities and anomalies among the attack sites. I was hoping to create an algorithm that would, within a statistically acceptable margin of error, provide a list of target-rich Galra environment— color-coded, of course, because what are we, animals?"

Jenny: "Um, yeah, technically. We do have animal cells."

Lance: "You got all that? I didn't."

Hunk: "It's a Galra finder?"

Pidge: "Well, 'finder' suggests that it locates the Galra, whereas it would be more accurate to say that my model predicts their likeliest..."

Sandra: "Yep. Sounds like a Galra finder to me."

Lance: "So, where are the Galra?"

Pidge: "The nearest ones are right here. A planet called Taujeer."

Shiro: "Then that's where we're headed. Everyone should get some sleep."

Hearing this, Jenny complained and wanted to cut to the chase.

Jenny: "Again? But we already took a nap."

Shiro: "We'd get there sooner, but the wormhole generator still isn't fixed yet. Until then, we have to get used to manual travel. Tomorrow, we'll find that Galra fleet and take it out."

Then, everyone started to go to their quarters, only for Shiro to notice Ayame and Keith with a morbid look on their faces.

Shiro: "Is everything okay?"

Ayame: "Hmm? Uh, sure. Why."

Shiro: "You and Keith seem a bit anxious."

Keith: "We're fine. Just tired. Like you said. I should get some sleep."

Then, Keith walked out while Ayame stayed with Shiro.

Ayame: "Takashi. I have something to tell you, actually. The truth is... I love him."

Shiro: "You do?"

Ayame: "Yes. I don't know when it's started, but... oh, wait. Ever since Keith promised to keep my being Zarkon's daughter a secret, I've... Ive been drawn to him. But... I don't know if I should tell him that. Does he even feel the same about me?"

Then, Shiro patted Ayame's shoulder.

Shiro: "It's okay. I get it. I'm still working on that myself."

Ayame: "You mean you and Belle?"

Shiro: "Yeah. I'm stuck in the same situation as you. Honestly, I can't tell you how it works. But you've gotta tell him at some point. You don't know when they'll be gone."

Ayame was no stranger to having people she cared about being taken away when she leases expects it. So, in short, she accepted the challenge.

Ayame: "I'll try. Thanks, Takashi."

With that, she walked to her quarters as Shiro looked onward.

* * *

At their quarters, Ayame was sleeping in her bed as Keith looked at his luxite blade. Then, without warning, an alarm rang out, waking up Ayame before the two of them headed towards their own lions. As Keith neared his Lion, he noticed a change in scenery as the red lines became purple, as did the Red Lion's eyes.

Keith: "Huh?"

The Red Lion began growling at Keith as he got closer.

Keith: "What's the matter, Red? It's me."

Then, it snarled before it moved its mouth toward Keith.

As for Ayame, she found the White Lion being occupied by Xaira, who snickered at her.

Ayame: "Xaira?! What are you—?!"

As an answer, Xaira thrusted the White Lion to chuck Ayame away before she ended up in the hangar of a Galra Base, surrounded by soldiers and found Keith stranded amongst them in their armor. She tried to reach out to Keith as she ran to him.

Ayame: "Keith!"

Keith noticed her before he turned to see her.

Keith: "Ayame? What's going on?"

Ayame: "I don't know. Xaira brought me here and stole the White Lion. That's all I know."

Then, Keith and Ayame looked at their own luxite blades and saw herself with yellow eyes while Keith saw Zarkon before he and Xaira spoke in unison to them.

Zarkon/Xaira: "I can find you anywhere..."

Then, Ayame and Keith woke up with a start before looking at their blades then back to each other.

Keith: "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ayame: "Of course. What other option is there?"

* * *

Later, Ayame and Keith snuck out to the hangar bay with a bag of their belongings while dressed in their Paladin uniforms. They prepared to jump into a pod before they saw Allura and hid behind it as she came towards it and tried to climb into it before he spoke.

Keith: "Princess, what are you doing here?"

In her surprise, Allura fell off of the pod and landed in Keith's arms before jumping off of them and speaking to them.

Allura: "Oh, I might ask you the same thing."

Keith: "Nothing."

Ayame: "Just walking."

Keith: "Late at night."

Ayame: "Near the pods."

Allura: "In full Paladin armor with a bag of your belongings?"

Then, Keith decided to tell her the truth as he sighed.

Keith: "We have to know if Zarkon and Kaecilius are tracking us. This is the only way. Don't try to stop us."

Allura: "I'm not going to stop you. I'm going to join you."

Ayame: "Okay. But how do we know if the pod will fit all three of us?"

Later, Keith and Ayame were sitting in the chairs as Allura sat in-between them.

Ayame: "Hey, what do you know? We do fit."

Then, the pod took off into space.

* * *

The next morning, everyone got to their stations.

Coran: "We should be entering Taujeer's orbit soon."

Shiro: "Raise the particle barrier. Scan for Galra."

Then, Shiro and Babak noticed that neither Keith, Ayame, nor Allura were present.

Shiro: "Where are Keith and Ayame?"

Babak: "And Allura?"

Coran: "It appears that one of the pods launched in the middle of the night."

Lance: "Wait a minute, Keith and Allura? In the middle of the night? You don't think they're sittin' in a tree?"

Jenny: "Come on, Lance. You know better than that. Obviously, Keith and Ayame would be sitting in a tree. Allura is the third wheel."

Then, Jenny and Lance heard Lapis growling through her teeth.

Lance: "I don't think you're helping, Jenny."

Jenny: "Oh, boy."

Shiro: "Contact that pod."

Lapis: "Yes! Contact that pod!"

* * *

Then, the radio contacted Keith, Ayame, and Allura as Coran spoke.

Coran: "Princess, Keith, Ayame, where are you?"

Allura: "Exactly where we should be, far away from the Castle."

Shiro: "What? Why?"

Allura: "We must know if we're the ones Zarkon is tracking."

Pidge: "They're isolating the variable. Well, isolating three variables."

Lance: "In English, please?"

Jenny: "They're basically seeing which one of them draws Zarkon with three tests at once."

Lance: "Oh. Now I get it."

Ayame: "Pidge and Jenny are right. If Zarkon finds you without us, we will know for sure that we are not the ones he is tracking."

Shiro: "Splitting up the group makes us far more vulnerable. Come back to the Castle immediately."

Ayame: "I'm sorry, Shiro. I'm afraid I can't do that. It's what's best for everyone."

Keith: "If Zarkon does find us, I can pilot us to safety. We're in wide-open space with plenty of room to maneuver. Plus, we'd be able to outrun him. Pidge added that booster fuel."

Coran: "That thing's still on there?"

Babak: "This isn't a debate! We need all of you back here now!"

Ayame: "You're right. This isn't a debate. We need to be as far away from you as we can."

Then, Babak growled to himself.

Babak: "I forgot what it was like to argue with Galra."

Then, the Castle suddenly jolted.

Shiro: "What's going on?"

Hunk: "We're in some sort of debris field."

Coran: "I believe it's coming from Taujeer. Correction: I think it is Taujeer!"

Allura: "Coran, what's going on—"

Then, the transmission went down, much to Coran's alarm.

Coran: "Some kind of radiation from the planet is interfering with communications!"

Shiro: "Move the Castle away from the planet and reestablish the link. Everyone else, get to your lions."

With that, the Paladins got to their lions and sped toward Taujeer, where one of its people on board the ark saw something.

Taujeerian: "Something's approaching!"

Then, Baujal ran toward them as the lions landed.

Hunk: "I don't see any Galra."

Lance: "Looks like that fancy Galra finder doesn't work. Nice try, Pidge."

Pidge groaned as Shiro and Jenny got out of their lions and went to Baujal.

Baujal: "Thank goodness you're here! I am Baujal, the leader of the Taujeerians. The Galra just destroyed our ship's engines and left."

Pidge: "So the Galra were here. Lance."

Lance: "Mmm."

Baujal: "They've taken everything. We must get everyone off the planet before it dissolves completely! Please, help us!"

Jenny: "You poor thing. Of course we'll help."

Shiro: "How long do we have?"

Then, the ground rose up as well as the acid.

Hunk: "Not long."

Shiro: "How did this happen?"

Baujal: "We've known for years that our planet would eventually lose its outer layer."

Lance: "Like a snake shedding its skin?"

Hunk: "Yeah, yeah, that doesn't sound so bad. I mean, beneath that old skin is a new, healthy layer, right?"

Jenny: "Yeah, except that new skin is acid, apparently. How long ago did you know that?"

Baujal: "Ever since Kaecilius corrupted our home's layer."

Jenny: "Kaecilius did that? That guy again..."

Baujal: "The plan was to evacuate the population to our nearest moon, where we have built a colony to wait out the shedding process. So we relocated to higher ground and constructed that ark."

Lance: "What happened?"

Sandra: "Our scanners said that there was a Galra attack here. Maybe _they_ stripped the ark of its engines and resources."

Baujal: "Indeed. They were led by a vile commander named Morvok. He robbed us of vital resources and left us with only one operational engine, stranding us here."

Jenny: "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. We can help you."

Baujal: "I believe you, for I have heard many legends of the valor of Voltron. Seven brave Paladins dedicated to this... Wait, wait. I count only six of you. Are you not Voltron?"

Jenny: "Uh, kinda. The White and Violet Lions can become their own Voltron, too."

Baujal: "Where is the seventh Paladin?"

Sandra: "I'm here."

Then, the Red Lion landed by the other lions.

Jenny: "Hey, Sandy. Look at you taking charge."

Sandra: "It's not my first rodeo looking out for my brother. Why should this be any different?"

Shiro: "Pidge, Hunk, take a look at the ark and see what we're dealing with."

Hunk: "Piece of cake. We'll get it flying in no time."

Suddenly, the ground shook as the landing gears came apart and caused the ark to fall to the ground.

Hunk: "Would you settle for upright?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith checked the scan for any signs of Zarkon.

Keith: "We've been here for hours. Still no sign of Zarkon or Kaecilius."

Ayame: "Well, I'm glad we don't have to wait here alone."

Allura: "Me, too. You understand, I could never live with myself if Zarkon was finding us because of me."

Ayame: "I do understand. More than you think. That's why we're here: to see if that's true. The Galra are getting one step ahead of us somehow."

Allura: "I must know how. We face such a dire threat from the Galra."

Keith: "Well, sure, they're bad. No doubt about that. But, at the same time, couldn't at least a few of them be fighting for good?"

Ayame: "Yeah. Like Ulaz said. They got people risking their lives in this war just like us."

Allura: "So does Zarkon, but one life means nothing to him."

Ayame: " _My_ life meant everything to him. He even went out of his way just to warn me about Kaecilius."

Allura: "He did what? How come you haven't told me about this?"

Ayame: "I didn't mention that before, because I'm still trying to figure out what he really wants."

Allura: "It's obvious what he wants. He wants Voltron for himself just so he could conquer the universe."

Ayame grew tense at this.

Ayame: "There's gotta be more to it than that."

Then, she caught her temper and calmed down.

Ayame: "Look, either way, hasn't it crossed your mind some of them are actually willing to help? Like Lapis, or Azix, or Zaltron?"

Allura: "They went through a great ordeal. Any offer of help from the Galra that hasn't known loss is merely a prelude to a trap. I know all too well how quickly they turn."

Ayame: "So do I. But it was thanks to me that Ulaz stayed to help you guys. Because I spoke with my heart. Who knows? Maybe... maybe I could get through to him."

Allura: "Are you mad? There's no reasoning with Zarkon. And even if there was, he's had 10,000 years to change his course. I'd never give him a second thought."

Ayame: "Of course you wouldn't."

Then, Allura grew confused at her meaning before she explained.

Ayame: "To you, he's a murderer and a tyrant. But to me, he's a broken father trying to put himself back together and hurting himself and the pieces in the process. From what Babak told me, he got corrupted by those creatures just to save Honerva. There's good in him, whether you believe it or not. I know there is..."

Allura: "And if there isn't?"

Ayame: "Then... I'll stop him myself if I have to."

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Kaecilius and Komar stood before Omegus from the dark rift.

Kaecilius: "It seems we've made a grievous error in judgment choosing Zarkon as a host."

Omegus: "Indeed. His resistance has grown pestilential."

Komar: "If I may, your lordship, you've been imprisoned in the Quantum Abyss. How are you able to communicate with us?"

Omegus: "The foolish Alfor rendered only my material form dormant. But Alphus' mere presence in this universe is what has kept my energy form from falling prey to slumber."

Kaecilius: "Interesting. It appears you are just as resilient."

Omegus: "In order to finish what I began 10,000 years ago, my Chaotic Quintessence requires a true vessel."

Kaecilius: "You mean Zarkon was just being played? No wonder he's beginning to wake up. Perhaps, I'll put him back to sleep. For good."

* * *

At the command center, Zarkon had located the Black Lion again.

Zarkon: "I have located them. Get me Morvok."

At his cruiser, Morvok was picking at his teeth before Zarkon spoke to him on the monitor.

Zarkon: "Commander Morvok."

Then, Morvok panicked and turned to him.

Morvok: "Aaah! Lord Zarkon!"

Zarkon: "I am sending you coordinates near your current location. Kaecilius is on his way there. Destroy the traitor and bring Voltron and Xaira to me, alive."

Morvok: "Kaecilius, Voltron, and Xaira, sire?"

Zarkon: "Indeed. Have you received the coordinates?"

Then, below the monitor, the planet of Taujeer appeared.

Morvok: "If I may, I was able to acquire many resources, all to glorify your mighty reign, may it last a thousand centuries."

Zarkon: "Your bootlicking does not impress me, Morvok."

Morvok: "I merely meant that I could be of even more use if I were to bring you these resources instead of..."

Zarkon began to snap at Morvok.

Zarkon: "Are you refusing my order?"

Morvok: "Of course not. I will not fail you, Lord Zarkon.

Zarkon: "See that you don't. Vrepit Sa."

Morvok: "Vrepit Sa."

* * *

At Taujeer, the six lions hovered near the ark.

Pidge: "Assuming we can get it back up, the repairs will still take time."

Lance: "Which would appear to be the one thing we don't have."

Jenny: "So, what do we do?"

Shiro: "We need to slow down the shedding."

Pidge: "How do you stop a planet that's coming apart at the seams?"

Hunk: "By sewing it back together!"

Shiro: "What do you mean?"

Sandra: "I think I know what he's talking about. If Pidge's new Green Lion weapon grows vegetation, maybe we can aim it at the cracks and stitch them up."

Shiro: "But won't the stitches get dissolved by the acid?"

Jenny: "Well, it'll take longer if they're frozen."

Shiro: "It's a plan. Hunk, you, Sandra, Lapis, and I will take our lions and get this ark upright while Jenny, Pidge, and Lance buy us some time."

Then, the team got to work stitching up the growing cracks near the ark as the rest cleared the legs away.

Hunk: "My side's clear, Shiro."

Shiro: "Almost done."

Pidge saw the frozen vegetation holding it.

Pidge: "Yes! It worked!"

Shiro: "It won't hold forever. Keep going!"

Hunk, Sandra, and Lapis groaned as they held up the ark.

Shiro: "Come on! Give it all you got. That's it! We're almost there."

Then, a crack went off near them, only for it to be stitched up and frozen.

Shiro: "Thanks, guys."

Lance: "You got it."

Pidge: "Anytime."

Then, the lions installed the remains of the legs under the ark as fulcrums as the Taujeerians cheered.

Shiro: "All right, Hunk, time to work on those engines."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still in outer space, receiving no signal.

Keith: "So, what happens if Zarkon does come after us?"

Allura: "You said you could pilot us to safety, right?"

Keith: "Sure, but after that, could we even go back to the group? And if we don't, who would pilot the Castle or create wormholes?"

Allura: "Well, what about you? Without you, the team cannot form Voltron."

Ayame: "Not necessarily. You said Sandra is also the Red Paladin, right? So, she could probably fill in for Keith. And Jenny. She could use the White Lion and create wormholes while Coran commands the Castle."

Keith: "So... what are you saying?"

Ayame: "Whether or not Zarkon finds us, the universe will be safe with them. Everything will be fine."

Keith: "You seem really sure about that."

Ayame: "Why not? I've got faith in my friends. They can do this."

* * *

At Taujeer, the team has finished working on the engines.

Hunk: "Well, it ain't pretty, but it should get you airborne—"

Then, the ground broke apart as Shiro turned to Baujal.

Shiro: "Just in time."

Then, the engine started boosting the ark up until a blast hit near it, causing it to tip on the other side.

Pidge: "What was that?"

Then, Shiro saw Kaecilius atop his cruiser as he smirked with black lightning stirring in his right hand.

Shiro: "Kaecilius. He's back."

Kaecilius: "Futile."

Then, after Kaecilius fired one more volley of black purple lightning near it, the ark began to fall to the acid as the Taujeerians panicked. At the cruiser, Kaecilius chuckled as he remembered what he'd done to Taujeer before.

Kaecilius: "What a lovely sight this is, the end of this wretched world. This is the definition of justice. Power, wisdom, flame and light return with a vengeance to consecrate anew this defiled planet. And now, the unclean world, stained with the violent plague of mortalkind, is remade. Born of divinity by divinity. Paradise sanctified."

Shiro: "Hunk, Sandra! Take the Red and Yellow Lions and hold up the ark. If it falls into the acid, the Taujeerians are doomed."

Hunk: "Not to mention the people underneath beneath them, which would be us in this particular scenario."

Sandra: "Ah, stop whining. We can do this."

Shiro: "Lance, Jenny, Pidge, Lapis, we've got to draw Kaecilius' fire. Coran, we need you here now. Attack Kaecilius' cruiser!"

Coran: "I'm on my way!"

Then, another cruiser appeared to confront Kaecilius as the Castle lowered into the atmosphere.

Morvok: "There's Kaecilius. First things first. Take out the traitor. We can worry about Voltron and Xaira after."

Galra Drone: "Yes, sir."

Then, that cruiser began attacking Kaecilius, much to his annoyance.

Kaecilius: "Ignorant troglodyte. Must I pulverize you for you to understand?"

Meanwhile, Babak noticed the radio working again.

Babak: "The radio's back online."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, and Allura got a transmission from Coran.

Coran: "Keith, Ayame, Allura, are you there?"

Allura: "We're here, Coran. What is it?"

Coran: "Zarkon and Kaecilius are definitely not tracking us through either of you."

Keith: "He's not?"

Ayame: "How do you know?"

Coran: "Because you're out there, and two Galra fleets showed up here! We need you now!"

Allura: "We'll be there in two doboshes."

Keith: "Even faster than that."

Ayame: "What's that?"

Keith: "It's the booster fuel Pidge added to this pod."

Then, Keith pushed the booster fuel button before the engines glowed orange and began self-destructing before Keith, Ayame, and Allura were ejected from the pod as it exploded. The force of it sent them flying in outer space before Keith stopped himself with his jet pack and flew toward Ayame, who was flying out of control along with Allura. When he was within reach, Keith got his hands out toward them.

Keith: "Guys! Grab my hands!"

Then, Ayame and Allura grabbed them before they hung on and twirled around. As they grew still, they panted their breath.

Keith: "Ayame, are you okay?"

Ayame: "Yeah. What about you, Allura?"

Allura: "I believe so. Is your radio working?"

Keith: "Let's find out. Coran, can you hear me?"

The radio crackled in response.

Keith: "No luck."

Then, Ayame spoke to him.

Ayame: "So, I guess we're going back on our own, huh?"

Then, Ayame had an idea.

Ayame: "Hold on. Maybe not."

Then, Ayame closed her eyes before speaking telepathically.

Ayame: _"Jenny. Jenny. Can you hear me?"_

* * *

Far away, Jenny was dodging Kaecilius' blasts as he found himself attacked by Morvok at the same time. At that moment, Jenny heard her voice.

Ayame: _"Jenny. Can you hear me?"_

Jenny: _"Yeah. I can hear you. What happened?"_

Ayame: _"The booster fuel Pidge added made our pod explode. So, we're on our own."_

Jenny: _"What? How are you gonna get back?"_

Ayame: _"Don't worry about us. Do what you have to do first. We'll get by until then."_

Jenny: _"Okay. Sure, why not? I've found you before. I can do it again."_

Then, Jenny got her focus back on Kaecilius as Morvok saw the situation turning to his favor.

Morvok: "We've got Kaecilius on the ropes. This is going far better than I anticipated. We could actually terminate the traitor and capture Voltron and Xaira! I could get transferred back to the hub. And they said I wasn't good enough to be in the hub."

Then, Morvok gasped at the best case scenario.

Morvok: "Maybe Zarkon will invite me to sit in his box at the gladiator matches! The ultimate honor!"

Then, Kaecilius spoke to Morvok.

Kaecilius: "Just the barbaric greed I'd expect from you, mortal."

Then, Kaecilius aimed for Morvok before Zaltron shouted at him.

Zaltron: "Kaecilius!"

He turned to see Zaltron charging at him with his sword in hand, only to clash it with his aura-covered hand, noticing a difference in his power.

Zaltron: "This power. It's different than before."

Kaecilius smirked at him before pushing him away as a soldier spoke to Morvok.

Galra Soldier: "Sir! Five Voltron Lions approaching!"

Morvok: "What did I tell you? We must take out the traitor first!"

As the conflict went on, Zaltron and Kaecilius clashes across the cruiser as multiple fighters shot at him, the bullets going through him like a ghost.

Zaltron: "What?"

Jenny: "How did they just phase through him?!"

Galra Soldier: "Sir, Kaecilius just went through our weapons."

Morvok: "Keep firing!"

Then, the fighters continued their assault before the bullets went through him, this time leaving holes.

Morvok: "Yes! We've got him!"

Then, the holes filled themselves up, much to the horror of both sides.

Morvok: "It didn't work? Why didn't it work?!"

Kaecilius: "Lowly mortals. Still denying the inevitable. Perhaps a further demonstration of my power will help you face the truth."

Then, Kaecilius prepared a dark red and black orb from his hand before Shiro figured it out.

Shiro: "He's aiming at the ark! Lance! Pidge! Jenny! Lapis! Attack with your jaw blades!"

The lions aimed for Kaecilius' ship before they slashed at it with their jaw blades, forcing Kaecilius to take flight and aim at the ark again.

Kaecilius: "Now watch as I plant the seed of your demise."

With that, Kaecilius fired the blast, striking the ground near the ark, causing the Taujeerians to panic.

* * *

Out in space, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still stranded as they went forward.

Keith: "We'll never get there at this rate."

Allura: "This was a terrible mistake. Shiro was right. We never should have left them."

Ayame: "They can make it, Allura. I know they will."

Keith: "But what about us?"

Then, Ayame was reminded of what Shiro told her as to her feelings for Keith.

Ayame: "About that, Keith. I've... I've got something to tell you, in case we don't make it."

Keith: "Really? What's that?"

Ayame grew a bit hesitant for a moment before she finally worked up the nerve.

Ayame: "I... the truth is... I love you, Keith. Okay?"

That caught Keith off guard before his cheeks turned red while Allura grew surprised.

Allura: "What? You love Keith?"

Ayame: "Yeah. So?"

Then, Allura seemed to forget their troubling situation as her eyes became sparkly and began inquiring of Ayame.

Allura: "That's great news! How long ago did it start?"

However, she'd also forgotten it was supposed to be just between the two of them as Keith spoke to Allura.

Keith: "Not now, Allura."

Allura: "Oh. Sorry."

Keith: "You really feel that way about me?"

Ayame smiled as Keith got the picture.

Ayame: "Yes. I do. Doesn't really matter much, though, huh? We're stranded in outer space with no possible way of going back but our jet packs. But at least I'm with you. So that's one thing to look forward to."

Then, Keith hugged Ayame tighter while also holding onto Allura.

Keith: "I love you, too."

Ayame's eyes widened in shock before she welcomed the embrace and closed her eyes.

Ayame: "Good to know."

Then, they heard Allura speak up.

Allura: "Um, do you mind going easy on your grip?"

Then, they noticed that they were squeezing Allura before they eased up.

Keith/Ayame: "Ah! Sorry, Allura."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaecilius's attack caused the ground to splinter and chuck the debris towards them.

Sandra: "What's that?"

Hunk: "Rocks! Big, big rocks!"

Lance jumped onto a rock and kicked it away to protect them.

Lance: "We got you, guys."

Kaecilius: "How annoying."

Then, Kaecilius fired a blast at the ion cannon, causing it to become disabled.

Morvok: "What happened?"

Galra Soldier: "Kaecilius attacked the cannon. He's disabled our projectile targeting system. We can't aim the cannon until it's fixed."

Morvok: "Fix it! Full attack! Fire with everything we've got!"

Then, the cruiser began to retaliate with a wide array of blasts before Kaecilius took the full brunt of it and was revealed for them to have no effect on him.

Kaecilius: "That won't work."

Morvok whimpered before Kaecilius prepared to attack, only for him to be halted as the Castle attacked his cruiser.

Shiro: "Way to go, Coran! Hunk, Sandra, what's your status?"

Hunk: "Mostly just trying not to fall into a bubbling pot of acid."

Morvok: "Divert all shields to the main hull! Focus all firepower on his cruiser!"

Then, Morvok shot at the cruiser Kaecilius stood upon as Zaltron ran toward him and clutched onto him.

Kaecilius: "Ah, that's better! But now what?"

Zaltron: "You'll see."

Then, he noticed the Violet Lion during its ion cannon at the both of them before Zaltron chucked him in its path and got out of its range as Kaecilius got enveloped in its blast before it exploded and sent him into the acid as he had a look of surprise over him.

Jenny: "Did it work?"

Then, Jenny felt a strange and familiar connection.

Jenny: "Huh? What the—?"

Then, the White Lion took off towards space.

Jenny: "Whoa! Uh, guys, White's going rogue and going towards space!"

Lance: "What for?"

Jenny: "Oh, right. I kinda psychically said I'd find Ayame again."

Sandra: "Oh, great."

Then, the ark began to weigh down on Hunk and Sandra.

Hunk: "I can't hold it any longer!"

Sandra: "You have to, Hunk! If you let go, the Taujeerians will die!"

Then, the lions began slipping into the acid as Hunk and Sandra grunted before they screamed. After which, the Yellow Lion got an extra set of armor for its claws before it locked itself in place.

Hunk: "Oh, whoa! Armor claws!"

Sandra: "Nice work, Hunk."

Hunk: "Guys, we can keep this thing from falling any farther, but we need your help to get it back up."

Shiro: "We're on our way!"

* * *

As the lions regrouped to help it back up, Keith, Ayame, and Allura were still floating in space when they saw a familiar sight.

Ayame: "Guys, look!"

Keith: "Huh?"

Ayame: "The White Lion found us!"

Then, Jenny waved to them.

Jenny: "Hi, you crazy kids!"

* * *

At Taujeer, Morvok got back to focusing on Voltron as the soldiers fixed the targeting.

Galra Soldier: "Sir, the ion cannon's guidance system is back online. And the lions appear to have gathered beneath the ark."

Morvok: "Perfect! The lions will go down with it. Fire when ready!"

Then, Morvok's cruiser prepared its ion cannon before the White Lion suddenly appeared and cut through it with its jaw blade, knocking it into the acid as the Taujeerians cheered.

Lance: "All right!"

Shiro: "Good to have you back, Keith."

Keith: "Good to be back."

Lapis: "Hey, Keith. Is Ayame with you?"

Keith: "Yes."

Lapis: "Like, 'with you' with you or..."

Sandra: "Hey, Keith. Do you mind helping me clean up _your_ mess?"

Keith: "On my way, sis."

Then, the lions helped set the ark down on its side before Ayame noticed he wasn't there.

Ayame: "Hold on. You guys said two Galra fleets came to you. I saw one of them leading a fleet. Where's the other one?"

Then, Kaecilius' voice boomed.

Kaecilius: "VOLTROOOOOOON!"

Then, Kaecilius burst out of the acid with his red aura flaring as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Then, the aura shrunk to incorporate his body as his eyes glowed red as he panted.

Jenny: "That answer your question?"

Shiro: "All right, everybody. No time to relax. Let's show them what they're dealing with. Form Voltron!"

Then, the five lions combined into Voltron as the White and Violet Lions transformed. Morvok stood in shock as he saw three of them at once.

Galra Soldier: "Sir, our weapons systems are knocked out completely. Should we retreat?"

Morvok: "Never! Aim the ship at Kaecilius! We will take him down ourselves. To die for the Galra Empire is the greatest honor imaginable. Vrepit Sa!"

Galra Soldiers: "Vrepit Sa!"

Then, he turned to the stone and whispered.

Morvok: "Prepare my escape pod."

Outside, the cruiser was turning to Kaecilius, much to his anger.

Kaecilius: "I've had enough of you impudent mortals... BEGONE!"

Then, he fired a dark red beam through the cruiser, destroying it as Morvok escaped.

Pidge: "Kaecilius just destroyed that cruiser!"

Hunk: "He's gonna go after the ark and obliterate it!"

Shiro: "We'll have to meet him head-on. Form sword!"

Then, Voltron forged its sword as the White Voltron forged a chain naginata and the Violet Voltron forged two swords.

Jenny: "Are we gonna be able to stop him with our swords?"

Shiro: "They'll have to!"

Then, Sandra felt the Red Lion calling to her before the rest of the Paladins got the message.

Sandra: "Guys, I think Red is telling me something."

Lance: "Yeah, mine too."

Pidge: "I can feel it too."

Hunk: "Same here."

Jenny: "Ditto."

Lapis: "I feel it too."

Shiro: "Then do it!"

Then, everyone slammed their bayards in their locks before they twisted. As a result, they've made a scythe for the White Voltron, a long machete for Voltron, and two sickles for the Violet Voltron before they moved in towards Kaecilius and clashed against his aura that generated on its own.

Kaecilius: "You may be more powerful, but you're still not a god!"

Then, he shouted as he expanded it, forcing the team to dig deeper through the thick darkness before they finally reached him. Then, the White Lion powered up its light from its chest, eliminating it before it swung with a backhand, knocking Kaecilius farther away into space before the scythe vanished.

All: "Yes! Yeah!"

Shiro: "Now let's get the Taujeerians to safety."

Hunk: "How are we going to do that? The booster rockets are shot."

Then, Lapis had an idea as she smiled. Then, the Taujeerians felt the ark shake before they gasped. Evidently, Lapis had cut through the ground with her sickles to provide safe and even ground before the White Lion went in with its particle barrier active and lifted the ark with her underneath it before the the rest of the Voltron Force pitched in.

* * *

Later, the team is back on the Castle after saving the Taujeerians.

Ayame: "I'm sorry for leaving, Takashi."

Keith: "Me too. We thought we were doing the right thing."

Allura: "But clearly you were correct, Shiro. We are always stronger together."

Lance: "At least we learned Zarkon isn't tracking us through either of you three."

Hunk: "Plus, I learned that my lion can grow armor and extend its claws like that. Ting! Which will come in handy if we ever need to, say, I don't know, slice up a giant steak while getting beat up."

Sandra cleared her throat at this, letting Hunk get the message before he spoke on.

Hunk: "Or fight evil and save innocent people. That too. That would work."

Ayame then walked up to Shiro before she spoke to him.

Ayame: "Again, I'm sorry for leaving. If I counted on that happening, I would've stayed, but I didn't. I guess... I'm just a mistake that's just holding the team back."

Then, Lapis began to forget about her jealousy and feel bad for her.

Lapis: "Ayame..."

Shiro: "That's not true, Ayame. You had our best interests at heart. And you're not a mistake. In fact, you helped us solve a crucial mystery."

Ayame: "Huh?"

Shiro: "The fact that the White Lion came to help you from so far away is a vital piece of information. We now have proof that a lion and a Paladin can, in fact, connect over a far greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us. It's through the Black Lion."

The whole crowd gasped in shock at this before Ayame spoke.

Ayame: "What can we do?"

Shiro: "I don't know. We'll figure this out in the morning. For now, we have to get some rest."

Jenny: "Yeah. Naps, I'm sorry I hated you this morning."

Then, Jenny fell to sleep in Lance's arms to his surprise before he blinked his eyes.

Babak: "This has been a difficult day, indeed. Well, have a good rest, everyone."

* * *

Later, Ayame, Keith, and Lapis were in their quarters before Lapis got out a certain flash drive.

Lapis: "Hey, guys. Have you ever wondered what was in this flash drive?"

Keith: "Uh, yeah, actually."

Ayame: "But where are we supposed to plug it in?"

Lapis: "I can fix that."

Then, Lapis got out a tablet from her drawer and took the flash drive from Ayame before she installed it in and found one file in it. She then clicked on it before a video played. It showed a young woman with long raven hair and dark grey eyes.

Ayame: "Mom?"

Keith: "Yuriko?"

Lapis: "You guys know her?"

Keith: "I saw her in Ayame's mind."

 _Yuriko: "Hello. This is Yuriko Shirogane. If you're watching this, then you know the truth about your father. Right now, you must be feeling doubt sweep over you, feeling like you're a mistake. But I need you to know that you are not a mistake, Ayame. You mean the whole world to me. No, the whole universe. Your father cares about you, too, even if he won't show that. Everything he's done for 10,000 years isn't his fault. It's none of their fault. They've just been... changed. By what force I don't know yet. But believe me when I say the Galra Empire needs you to help change their course. I know you can pull it off somehow, Ayame. I just know. I love you so much, my little princess."_

Ayame began to tear up as she placed her hand on the tablet.

Ayame: "I love you too, mom."

Then, Ayame lightly sobbed on Keith's shoulder as he held onto her. Lapis didn't know what to do and only sighed before she walked out. Ayame noticed this and got Keith's attention before she let him know and went after her.

Ayame: "Lapis."

Lapis turned to her before she spoke.

Lapis: "What do you want?"

Ayame: "I was wondering that about you. You've been acting hostile around me whenever I'm with Keith lately, and I don't know why."

Lapis: "Isn't that obvious? It's because I— I love him, too."

Ayame: "What?"

Lapis: "I don't know why, but... Keith's helped me become better than who I was. I owe him my life for that."

Then, Ayame hugged Lapis before she spoke to her.

Ayame: "I get that. But you have to understand. Keith has to decide which one of us should be with him. And it has to be on his terms. You don't have to like it. But please, let him choose."

Lapis hugged her back in response as she understood.

Lapis: "Okay. I will."

* * *

Out in space, Kaecilius growled at his failure.

Kaecilius: "How could a god lose to a mortal again?!"

Then, Omegus spoke in his mind.

Omegus: _"Clearly, our improved state is not enough to accomplish the deed for which I have come. For that, I shall acquire a much greater instrument of destruction..."_


	20. Space Mall

**Chapter 19:** Space Mall

The next morning, Shiro gathered the group to discuss their situation. "Okay, look. We now know for certain that Zarkon is tracking us through the Black Lion. We have to find some way to stop him." "How are we gonna do that?" Pidge asked. "We've had two Paladins sharing the same lion before, but this is different." Allura pointed out. "Well, unless we want Zarkon taking control of Voltron every time we get close... I'll have to forge a new bond with my lion. One that's stronger than his." Shiro said before Coran pointed out another problem. "Well, while you're working on that, the rest of us need to find some new teludav lenses, otherwise we won't be able to travel via wormhole." Hunk and Keith wondered about how to get the teludav. "Is that something we have to mail order?" "Does anyone even make those anymore?" "I don't know. Only a few Alteans could use the teludav 10,000 years ago. They may not exist anymore." Then, Coran got an idea before he spoke up. "I think I may know where to get some." Then, Coran pulled up locations showing strange aliens with multiple arms, earning Allura's disgust and Ayame's curiosity. "What are those?" "Coran! You're not suggesting going to one of those filthy swap moons! The last time you went, those space pirates took you for everything you had." Lance and Jenny grew perplexed at the same time as Sandra grew suspicious of the Unilu before Coran resolved the matter. "Space Pirates?" "You don't suppose they pillage and plunder?" "Far from it. The Unilu were traders and pirates that roamed the galaxy and dealt in black market goods. Umvy water, by-for water, little bottles of infinity vapor. Of course, you had to bargain. No one could bargain like the Unilu. Last time, I ended up giving away three quarters of my shipment of lango in exchange for a used pogo oscillator." Coran and Allura laughed at that memory before Allura remembered all too well how her father took it. "Father was not pleased about that." Lance, being mindful about his relationship with Jenny, offered something to do in spare time. "Well, while Coran is picking up his lenses, I'll take Jenny and Allura shopping for something sparkly." Then, Coran spoke back to him. "This isn't shopping! You're not wandering around saying, 'What a lovely pink hat! This is so becoming.' No! I can't allow Allura to get anywhere near those filthy, lowballing Unilu hoodlums." Despite this, Allura and Jenny grew tempted by the offer. "But I'd love something sparkly." "Me, too." "Look, you're the only one who can operate the Castle. Jenny can do that, too, but she's a Paladin. You need to be resting after all you've been through." Allura groaned before Jenny grew surprised. "Wait. I could drive the Castle? Why wasn't I told?" "Now, let's ready a couple of pods for our mission. We need to get in, find the Scaultrite lenses, and just get out." Then, the Paladins made a break for the pods in different groups, Belle being at the helm of the next pod. "Well, I'm driving." Then, Lance and Jenny shouted intermittently for their own pods. "Shotgun!" Sandra and Hunk gave their own opinions following this. "What? No way I'm sitting in the back." "No, you have to be in the pod bay to call shotgun." "Since when?" "Since forever. That's shotgun etiquette. I wrote the book." Belle facepalmed herself knowing the boys' nature. "Oh, boy." Meanwhile, Shiro got back to the task at hand. "While they're doing that, I'm going to head down to the hangar. I need to strengthen my bond with the Black Lion." When Shiro walked to where the Black Lion was held, Allura sighed, knowing she was the only one in the room as Babak, Azix, and Zaltron were checking on the Castle's systems. "So what am I supposed to do now, just sit here and worry all day?" Then, the mice squeaked to Allura about a suggestion they could do. "Hmm? What? Dinner and a show?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro walked to the Black Lion as he looked up to it. "You and I have some work to do." Then, he got in the Black Lion before he took a deep breath, knowing the difficulty it's present. "Work with me. What do I have to do to strengthen our bond?" Then, its yellow eyes flared before it activated and took off. "Whoa! Hey! What are you doing? Stop. Stop! I said stop! Turn around. That's an order!" However, the Black Lion did not heed him as it continued its journey.

* * *

Meanwhile, two pods were flying in space, one piloted by Coran, and the other by Belle with Lance and Jenny in the shotgun positions. "Hello? Back passengers? Can you hear me?" Ayame responded to them as she sat beside Keith and in front of Pidge and Hunk. "Yeah, Coran. We can."

"Can you guys hear me back there?" Belle asked. Lapis responded next as she sat beside Sandra. "Yep. Hear you loud and clear."

Then, Lance spoke up in a cocky voice. "Oh, it's so comfy up here. Extra leg-room, heating seats! Oh, man!" Hunk grumbled as he had his arms crossed. "Stupid Lance. Stupid shotgun." Then, Keith spoke to Ayame. "How come you didn't want shotgun?" "Well, because you weren't there. And also, I don't really care about this shotgun business." "Well, that makes two of us." Coran then brought the focus back on their mission. "Now, these swap moons are very dangerous environments. So be on your toes. No weapons or communication devices of any kind! Also, I've brought some disguises." Pidge and Ayame grew curious about this development. "Hmm?" "Like what?"

* * *

At a swap moon, which turned out to be an intergalactic mall, Lance stood with a pair of blue space goggles on his head wearing a tan robe and skinny pants as Keith wore a mask over his eyes, a scarf, and a long hooded cloak, Hunk, an apocalyptic armor with spiked shoulder pads, a hockey mask with four eyes, Ayame, a mask that went over her mouth, space goggles over her eyes, and a black trenchcoat, Jenny, a pink and black hooded shirt with long jeans, Pidge, a gas mask with a bandana and a small cape, Sandra, a red metal mask over her face, followed by a grey jacket, and spiked shoes, Lapis, a black short-sleeved shirt with a hood over her head, a circular mask with four purple lines, and long pants, Belle, a silver long-sleeved shirt with a black beanie cap, a grey cape behind her, and black pants, and finally, Coran sported an eyepatch with a backpack, a blue robe, and dark grey armored pants as Jenny grew confused. "Uh, Coran, I'm pretty sure one of those swap moons is just a regular mall." "It does seem to be a bit cleaner than I remember. Still, be vigilant. The Unilu are cut-throat wheeler-dealers. So keep your hands on your coin satchels." Hunk felt like he was covered. "My satchels are empty." "Good." Ayame and Keith didn't particularly like being out for too long. "Let's just get this over with." "Yeah. Not for nothing, but it's getting a little musty in this outfit." "Yes, right. Everyone, let's fan out, search the area for teludav lenses. We'll meet by the giant ticking clock in one varga. Don't be late, and try to blend in." As Coran walked away, the Paladins looked at their attire before Jenny spoke. "I'm keeping mine on, you guys. I kinda like it."

* * *

Then, as the rest of the Paladins ditched their disguises, they were unaware that a security guard just captured footage of them. "Huh? What the... Space pirates! Disguising yourselves as harmless shoppers, huh? Well, it won't work." Then, the guard went to his locker and got out his transmitter as he rearranged his badge. "Don't worry, Emperor Zarkon. I know you can't be here to protect the mall, but your faithful number two is on the case. Hope you pirates are ready to face Varkon." Varkon proclaimed before his belly dropped to reveal it slightly bulging.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro was still stuck in the Black Lion as it went towards a ruined planet. "Come on! I don't know where you're headed, but you need to start listening to me right now!" Shiro shouted before the Black Lion slowed its speed to a total stop amidst the asteroids. "That's better." Then, Shiro began to think there was a reason the Black Lion brought him there to begin with. "Where are we? Why did you bring me here? What are you trying to tell me?" As an answer, the Black Lion growled to him as Shiro gasped. "So you want me to see through your eyes?" Shiro closes his eyes and saw Daibazaal in its glory days. Back then, the Black Lion stood watch over Daibazaal, its people, and the Black and Red Paladins before Shiro came to a conclusion. "Was this your home?"

* * *

At the Space Mall, Hunk was on his own, searching for the Scaultrite. "Okay, if I were a 10,000-year-old wormhole lens, where would I be?" As he wondered where they could be, he noticed two aliens speedwalking on the escalator before he caught up with them. "Excuse me, hey, hi, excuse me, hi! Wow, you guys are really booking here. So I was just wondering if you guys knew where I can find some lenses for my ship around here?" In response, they just walked faster with him trying to catch up until he got tired. "Is there a one-hour lens place around here? Anything? Nothing? Never mind, you know what? I'll catch up with you guys later!" Then, he panted as he rode the escalator and saw a food court. "Oh! This... is... beautiful!" Then, to add to his delight, Hunk was presented a sample. Tempted to eat, Hunk gladly accepted as he chuckled. "Maybe the Scaultrite is under these samples. I don't know." Hunk then took the sample of squishy tentacle arms. "Rubbery." Next, he tasted a crunchy tamale-looking dish. "Sweet and salty." Then, he took a drink of a red liquid. "So cold, but spicy." Finally, he feasted on a purple ball before becoming displeased. "Mmm... eh. What's next, what do you got?" "Five hundred GAC." Hunk looked up to the Galran chef before he checked him to make sure he heard right. "Five hundred GAC. Excuse me?" "Sustenance provided by Vrepit Sal, that's me. Five hundred GAC is now owed." Hunk checked his pockets but couldn't find any GAC, not that he knew what it even was. "I thought this was a 'free sample' situation." "Free?" "Of charge. You know, gratis? Look, I don't have any money. So, you know." That answer didn't please him. So, he chained him to an oven in his kitchen to scrub dishes. He noticed an alien with a hairnet and a long beard and spoke to it for an answer. "Oh, man! How long you been here?" "Sal put me in when I was just a little girl." That made him fear the worst. She could've spent about 60 years of her life there, so odds were, he might be stuck here for that long too. "Oh, no."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle weren't interested in buying anything and decided to stay at the ticking clock. A varga is a long time by their standards, so they decided to use that time to discuss everything she'd gone through. "So, Ayame, have you and Xaira ever gotten along?" "Not really. She was always telling me that I'm just a mistake, that I don't deserve to be loved." Belle wasn't quite fond of that and made a remark to defend her friend's honor. "Oh, yeah? Well, you tell Xaira that she because she's a part of you, same goes for her too." Then, she noticed Ayame's look didn't change and figured out what she'd said to her. "Oh, sorry. That didn't help, did it?" "No, it's okay. I understand what you meant to say. You were just trying to support me. You all did. But you guys don't have to worry anymore." "I don't think that'll be possible for at least a while. We're your friends; it's our job to worry." "I know. But it shouldn't have to be." Then, they heard a small child's voice in the distance. "Mommy? Has anyone seen mommy?" Upon seeing the source of the voice and how lost he was, the two girls ran over to him and tried to help him. The little boy had blue skin and purple eyes with a beanie cap, a yellow shirt, and green shorts. Ayame knelt down to the child as she tried to help. "What's wrong?" "I lost my mommy. I can't find her anywhere." Then, Belle had an idea. "Don't worry. We can help." "Really? You'll find my mommy?" "Of course we will." "But how?" Ayame explainer to him as she helped him onto her shoulders. "We'll take a quick walk around the mall and find out which one is your mom first. And if that doesn't work, we'll stay by the ticking clock until she comes around." "Oh, thank you so much!" Ayame couldn't deny the warmth in her heart as she smiled before she spoke to the child. "So, where to?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis were walking in the hall before they noticed an Unilu salesman at the shop called 'Slice Capades.' "Let me show you this wonderful workings of the Galasu X-90 Extreme Blade System. It slices, it dices, it kills, slaughters, and skins, and constantly stays razor sharp! Look at it cut through this bloato fruit." The salesman sliced picked up a big fruit before tossing it in the air and slicing it to pieces, but only when the blade hit the board did it show many paper-thin pieces. "Paper thin. How much would you pay for this knife?" From the crowd of five, three being the Paladins, there was no answer. "But wait. There's more! How many times have you had to fight off a charging rock monster and then go immediately to a picnic? All the time, right?" The salesman then picked up a tick before slicing it and another fruit in the middle. "The Galasu can cut through rocks and still cut bloato fruit paper thin. Now how much would you pay?" The crowd left as the salesman tried to close the deal. "Seriously, how much? I have a lot of these to unload." The Paladins were the only ones remaining before Keith, Sandra, and Lapis before they walked up to him. Keith was the first one to ask. "We just had a question." "Fine! Wha-what do you got?" Then, he and Sandra asked as they presented the Blades. "Have you ever come across something like these?" The salesman became intrigued with it immensely. "Whoa, this craftsmanship is incredible! And are those luxite blades? The planet they mined those from hasn't existed in decaphoebes. Where'd you get them?" Sandra answered him bluntly. "Our parents gave them to us when we were little." The salesman found the story far-fetched. "Okay, that's vague. Tell you what, I'll give you guys a thousand GAC to take it off your hands." Keith rebutted the offer. "It's not for sale." "Two thousand." Sandra rebutted it next. "Not interested." "How about this? I keep the knives and you beat it before security gets here. I know they're stolen." Sandra wasn't afraid to let tempers fly. "That's not what happened at all!" "Then tell me where you got them." Then, Lapis had an idea and remembered what Coran said about them before getting her own wallet out. "I'll do you one better, actually. How about you let us keep the knives and we buy all the Galasu you have with... five hundred thousand GAC." This made the unilu's eyes widen with surprise before he gladly accepted. "Okay, you got yourself a deal!" Moments later, the Paladins were carrying a cart full of Galasu boxes before Keith spoke to Lapis. "I can't believe you've spent that much to get us out of trouble." "Um, actually..." Then, the salesman took a closer look at the GAC and found a notable difference: a face of Coran on it. "Wait a tick... these are fake!" Panicked, Lapis dragged them with her speedily. "Okay, let's get out of here!" "Hey! Come back with those!" The frustrated Unilu pushed a button under the counter that triggered the alarm.

* * *

In his station, Varkon was playing with his action figures when he heard an alarm and saw security footage of Keith, Sandra, and Lapis running away. "Trouble at the Slice Capades? It's those pirates! I knew they looked edgy. Varkon's comin' for ya!" Then, he put his foot on the pedal before he backed up and sped toward the halls.

* * *

In outer space, Shiro has realized what the Black Lion wanted to tell him. "So this was Zarkon's home planet. Show me more." Then, Shiro closed his eyes before he received glimpses of the past ranging from when the comet landed and found Alphus on top of it before it showed Alfor and his scientists creating the Black Lion as Alphus constructed the White Lion to the moment when Alfor, Alphus, and Zarkon at the hangar. "King Alfor built you from that comet. And you fought beside him. With Alphus and... Zarkon." Then, Shiro received a glimpse of Omegus shouting at him. "Parasites!" Then, Shiro snapped out of it as he realized who else was connecting with the Black Lion. "Omegus..."

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, he was initiating a ritual with Haggar and the Druids as he heard his voice. "You will rule nothing..." "You!"

* * *

At the Castle, Allura was watching the mice do a circus trapeze. First, the three of them did a wheel on the rope and got to another end of it before they went to the middle and broke the wheel, forming a stack before they jumped on the fourth's belly and did a tada moment. "Absolutely stunning! After we defeat Kaecilius and Zarkon, I'm taking you on the road!" The nice squeaked in admiration at her reply.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge was trying to figure out which bathroom was for females. There was a blue sign and a pink sign, but that didn't really help as an alien exited out of the side with the pink sign. Then, Pidge decided to let it go for now. "I'll just hold it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny was shopping with Lance as she held his hand with hers. "Lance, are you sure there's something sparkly here?" "Well, who knows? With the amount of Earth stuff here, maybe we'll find some jewel." Then, she got in her imagination and thought of herself wearing a fancy diamond ring and smiled. "Okay, I'm convinced." Then, the salesman that looked similar to an unknown creature from a UFO spoke to them. "Can I interest you in the latest earth fashions?" Jenny wanted to be sure he had what she liked. "Well, that depends. Do you have anything sparkly?" Then, Pidge shouted to them. "Guys, come on! We have to be back at the ticking clock in a half hour." "Aw, but I wanted something sparkly!" "We're supposed to be looking for the teludav lenses, and you're looking in the one store we know for certain won't have..." Just before Pidge could finish her sentence, she noticed a video game and system before she checked them out. "Oh, my gosh! Is that Killbot Phantasm 1? The first journey to the depths of the demon sphere? Oh! Mercury Gameflux Two! With the original power glove that gives you infinite lives if you touch the index finger to the pinky! We have to have this! How much?" "Pidge, Lance promised me something sparkly and if I don't get that, well you know what happens." Indeed she did. The last time someone broke a promise, mainly Lance, she lets loose a prank-nado, a series of pranks unleashed upon the unfortunate victim for a whole week. "Okay. How much are they and the sparkly stuff?" "Twelve hundred GAC." "Is that a lot?" "Well, compared to what we have, which is none, yes. It's a lot." "Sit right, Jenny. We're gonna find some money. Come on!" Then, Pidge turned to the salesman. "Don't sell that!" The salesman bluntly replied. "Don't worry. I never sell anything, do I, Kaltenecker?" After Kaltenecker mooed, Jenny realized her question wasn't answered yet. "Oh, wait. What's the sparkliest thing you have?" The salesman pointed to a diamond ring on a shelf, causing Jenny's eyes to light up as she squealed. "How much is it?" "One hundred GAC." Jenny squealed even more before she decided to be patient. "Good to know. I'll make sure Lance knows that too."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle were wandering around a crowd as the child called out for his mother. "Mommy! Mommy! Are you here?!" Belle didn't particularly find the volume soothing. "Man, his voice is so loud." "Don't worry. Hopefully, it won't be for much longer." "That's what you said twenty doboshes ago!" Then, They've reached the end of the mall before Belle spoke. "Welp. Looks like we couldn't find your mom." The child had a droopy face as he groaned before Ayame looked to the bright side. "Hey, it's okay. We'll just go back to the ticking clock. Maybe we might even find your mom before then." "Really?" "Don't get the wrong idea. She said 'might.'" As they began the walk back, the child began to shout even louder, much to Belle's impatient discomfort. "Mommy!"

* * *

As for Coran, he was sticking to the task before he noticed an Unilu with pink partly shaved hair. "Ah, one of the Unilu." Then, he got to her and tried to make his move before she spoke to him. "Um, like, can I help you?" "Yes. Can you tell me where the 'other' market is?" "The what?" "Well, some might call it the 'black market.'" "I don't think I know that. Maybe check there." She pointed Coran to a nap beside her. However, Coran didn't seem to think she was willing to cooperate. "I don't think this would be 'on' the map. It might be more 'off-book.'" In an attempt to get more out of her, he handed out an Altean dollar bill to her. "Hm? Maybe this will help you remember?" The Unilu gurl was still dumbfounded, however. "Again, what?" "Ah, the old Unilu shakedown, eh?" Coran chuckled to himself as he got more where this particular bill came from. "Fine. Starting to get a fuzzy recollection yet?" Upon closer inspection, she noticed his face on the bills. "Who is this? Is this you?" "No! That's King Groggery the Infirm! You know what? I'll find it myself!" Then, he heard Ayame and Belle's child shouting for his mother. "Mommy!" "And somebody please keep your child quiet!" With that, Coran stormed off in disappointed anger as the girl scoffed. "I'm so out of this dump."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was trying to come up with an escape plan. "I gotta escape somehow. Maybe I can scrub through the cuffs." As he did so, the robot that was malfunctioning set up a plate full of food before Sal pulled on the horn and called out for the customer. "Forty-three!" Then, Sal handed the brown hoop to the customer, who wasn't fond of it. "Sustenance unit complete. Ingest." As the customer walked away, the robot broke down and fell to the floor. "Huh?" Sal noticed the damage and grew unhappy. "Oh, not again! Now who will be my sustenance preparer?" Hunk had an idea to escape and used that opportunity to volunteer. "I got this, Sal. Un-cuff me." Sal chuckled at him in disbelief. "You?" "Trust me, in an enthusiastic gourmand with an incredible palette. Also, your robot is dead on the floor." "Hmm. That last part is true." The result didn't turn out as he expected as Hunk was now cuffed to the robot. "All right, work." Hunk didn't like this, but it was better than scrubbing dishes. Then, as the order was printed out, he took it. "Okay, now watch this!" However, he couldn't decipher the receipt's language. "I can't read this. Doesn't matter. I'll just improvise." Then, Hunk got out a knife and rapidly sliced through an alien eggplant before flipping a steak and preparing a dish that resembled a fancy one, such as a filet back on Earth. "Do you smell how the tanginess of tuber masture really brings out the charred flavor from the palmagoren filet?" Sal was about to use the horn before Hunk stopped him. "No, no, weveont be using that. Let's just say, 'Number 44? Your order's up.'" As luck would have it, a customer with number 44 held it up before she got her order. "Enjoy your meal." Then, as she sat down and ate, she moaned with a smile at its vast deliciousness. Sal, who was entirely new to this, grew furious. "What did you do to her face? It's cracking!" "She's smiling! She's enjoying her food." Then, at this point, Sal realized he's made the right choice as he handed him another receipt. "Okay, let's provide some sustenance!"

* * *

At the ruined home world of Zarkon, Shiro kept his eyes closed. "Show me more." Then, he was shown an intense battle with the Black Lion's wings shown to have blue extensions that make it resemble an angel's. "Those wings... you have powers I haven't unlocked." Next, it showed the Black Lion going through the enemy ship before it fired a blast at them. "Incredible!" Then, he got a closer look in the cockpit and found Zarkon with his normal yellow eyes and appeared to be speaking to him. "There isn't much time, Paladin." Then, the Black Lion fired a Beam at Shiro, forcing him into its consciousness where Zarkon resided. "I know we've been at odds for some time, and there will be a reckoning, but not today. Today, I must purge Omegus before _he_ controlls it himself." "Omegus? He's the one behind this?" "No. I sought after Voltron... to be _rid_ of Omegus. _"_ Then, the landscape changed from purple to red as Omegus' eyes glowed in he background. "Do you know me, follower of Alphus?" Shiro knew him all too well from the files. "Omegus. The darkness of the universe." "Good..." Then, a dark red tornado spun down near Shiro and Zarkon before it faded, revealing a being in black armor with grey energy spikes, horns going up his helmet, and red eyes. "Now know me as Omegus, your destroyer!" Omegus charged toward the Black Paladins as his hands sprouted red aura gauntlets before he punched them and knocked them far away before they recovered. Shiro lunged at him first before he used his robot arm to clash with his gauntlet as he yelled before Omegus countered with his fist, forcing Shiro to block before he threw his fist at him. However, he dodged this before he fired a dark red and black blast at his back, knocking him away before Zarkon moved in as he roared. Omegus, however, had no opinion whatever of his power. He was just a puppet. So, he stomped on the ground, forcing him to the air before he forged a red aura mace and slammed him to the ground before descending as he spoke. "This is the power of the Black Paladins? Such wasted efforts."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame and Belle were sitting by the ticking clock as the child looked left and right for his mother, easily growing impatient. "Is she there yet? Is she there yet? Is she there yet?" Then, Ayame put her hand over his mouth before she spoke to him. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't worry. We'll find her." The child didn't seem convinced as he moaned before she decided to share a detail. "You know, I used to get lost, too." "You did?" "Yeah. But you know what I've learned? Patience is a virtue. If you learn to wait, maybe you'll be with your mom faster." "I will?" "If you can be patient and wait. That way, she'll be able to find you. Can you do that for me?" The child nodded with a smile before he looked left and right again. "Good. This time, look more closely and slowly." This time, he was taking his time and looking carefully. Then, he noticed his mother desperately looking for him before he ran over to her. "Mom?" The mother heard his voice and saw him before she ran over to him. "Ah! My child!" Then, the two of them hugged with joyful abandon as she looked to Belle and Ayame. "Who are you?" "They we're helping me look for you, mommy." "They were?" Ayame nodded in response to this before the mother hugged her. "Thank you so much. I am so grateful for your help." "You don't have to thank us. We're just doing what's right." Then, the mother smiled before she and the child walked away. As they did, Ayame smiled to herself, catching Belle's attention. "What's with the face? You were so morbid before." "It's just like my mom said. I can set things right with the Galra race. If it wasn't for Zarkon... no. If it wasn't for Omegus, the Galra would've been as good as I am. My mind's made up. I want to help the Galra become better people." Belle assumed she's going crazy and just laughed. "Oh, that's so funny." "No, Belle. I'm serious." "Y-You are? Why? You're seriously considering that after what's happened to us? To you?" "I am." Then, they heard Varkon's voice from the distance. "Hold it, pirates!" They turned to see the guard before Belle got confused. "Pirates?" "Look, you've got the wrong idea." "Don't give me any of your smooth talk, pirate! You're going to the big house for sure!" Ayame couldn't see any way out of this situation but one. "Well, looks like reason went out the window." "Which means we better... run!" Then, they ran away with Varkon chasing after them. "Hey! Stop right there!"

* * *

Near the food court, Ayame and Belle got fat enough away before Ayame his under a bench and Belle hid behind a support beam as Varkon slowly went past them. "I'll find you pirates!" When he fully past them, that got out of their hiding places before Ayame stretched. "That was too close." "We better get the others out of here, too." Then, they saw Varkon headed toward the food court where they saw Hunk cooking. Belle wasn't really surprised, given his palette. "Hunk has a job now. Color me impressed." "Not for long, Belle. Come on!"

* * *

At the food court, Hunk was going 'Gordon Ramsey' on Sal. "I said 'over-medium'. Over-medium, you rube! Does this look over-medium to you?!" "Uh, no Chef." "Then lets get it right, huh? If it ain't perfect, it ain't coming out of this kitchen, people! Sauce me!" Then, Sal handed Hunk the sauce. "Now you're getting it!" Hunk flipped the sauce a few times before he drizzled and on the palmagoren filet and presented them. "Bon appétit." The Stowe cheered before Ayame and Belle got to him. "Belle? Ayame?" "No time to explain, Hunk." "We need to get going now." "Why? What's going on?" Varkon's voice have him the answer. "I got you now, pirate! Where are your friends?" Hunk panicked before turning to Sal. "Don't forget what I taught you! Those are the fundamentals of cooking!" As he jumped away, he planted his face on Varkon before he, Ayame, and Belle took off as Sal stood all amazed. "That kid is a genius. I don't care if we have to search the entire galaxy! I want him back at Vrepit Sal's!"

* * *

At the dark landscape, Shiro lunged at Omegus with his robot arm before he punched him, only for it to have no effect before he gripped his left arm and crushed it before Shiro was tossed away. Next, Zarkon darted toward him and attempted to strike before Omegus countered with a backhand to the air. "You mortals are not worthy of wielding such a weapon fit only for gods!" Then, Shiro got up and retorted. "You can't call yourself a deity after everything you've done! You will never get your hands on Voltron! You're no god!" Omegus roared as he charged at him and kicked him away. "You insignificant beings are not worthy of commanding such a divine weapon!" "No one commands the Black Lion!" Then, Omegus vanished just as Shiro would've struck him before he appeared in the air and lunged his claw toward his chest. "Mortals do not tell gods what to do!" Then, Omegus impacted Shiro, causing him to groan in the real realm. Omegus then gripped his neck as he closed in for the kill. "You really think the Black Lion would allow such a weak mortal to pilot it? Only a god is worthy of it. For we are the most powerful!" Then, Shiro realized what had happened. Zarkon was the Black Paladin just like him, but he was corrupted by Omegus. It was his fault this is even happening. "So that's what happened. This was your fault. You're the reason Zarkon forgot what is most important between a Lion and its Paladin. It's not about power. It's about earning each other's trust." The Black Lion's eyes flared to life in response to Shiro's morality as Omegus flouted it. "Don't be absurd. Trust can be easily erased, like you. Strength is absolute. Strength, like Omegus, is forever. Alas, you are not." Omegus then clenched his hold on Shiro, forcing him to scream in agony before Zarkon got up himself and ran toward him before jumping on him, gripping his arms and forcing him to let go. "What?" At the same moment, the Black Lion landed in front of them before charging a beam at them as Omegus turned to him. "You dare to betray me and have both of us destroyed?" "Perhaps not destroyed. Just damaged enough that you will be forced to leave what remains of me. For ensuring my daughter survives is preferable to live under your tyranny!" "For your insolence, I will only make you endure greater suffering!" Then, the Black Lion Shot at Zarkon and Omegus, forcing them out of his consciousness before Zarkon snapped awake and fell to the floor in the command center, earning Haggar's worry. "Sire, What is it?" "My connection grows weaker... as is Omegus' hold over me. We must hurry if we ever wish to reclaim Voltron!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro woke up with a start, only to find himself in outer space hear the ruined planet. "Did you just save me? Thank you. Let's go home." Then, he gasped as the scenery changed back to the Castle grounds. "We never left."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge and Lance were looking for money in water fountains. Pidge was holding a coin before she put it in her pocket with countless others. "Oh, this tenner looks like the last one. So, how much have we got?" "Eleven hundred and ninety-six GAC." "We're so close!" Then, they noticed somebody throwing a coin into the fountain. "Lance, look!" "Already on it!" Before the coin even landed, Lance suddenly popped up from under the water and snatched it with his teeth as he made dolphin noises. With their prize captured, the two began running back to the store. "Yeah! Let's go!" Lance laughed as he ran with Pidge before waving to the alien. "Thanks!" However, the alien's face drooped in response.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk, Belle, and Ayame were on the lam. "Gotta hide! Gotta hide!" Ayame tried to calm Hunk down before it became repetitive. "Calm down, Hunk. We can make it." Then, they noticed Keith, Lapis, and Sandra exiting the bathroom. Hunk ran to them in desperation. "Guys! They're right behind us!" Keith was wondering who's been following them and if it was that Unilu that tried to take their blades. "Who?" Then, Varkon sped past them befor backing up and finding the others. "Pirates number four, five, and six! My lucky day!" Then, everyone helped as they ran from Varkon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance and Pidge has returned to the store, with Jenny holding onto a diamond ring as Pidge and Lance for the game and the system. They were about to leave before the salesman spoke up. "Hold on. With every purchase, you get a free Kaltenecker." Then, they noticed the other Paladins on the run. Jenny was trying to understand why before they came by. "Hunk?" "Time to get moving, guys!" Then, as they were forced to run, Jenny tried to understand before Ayame answered. "What's going on?" "Security's on our tail!" "What security?" Then, they noticed Varkon behind them earning Jenny's panic. "There's the rest of the crew!" "Faster, faster, faster!" Then, Lance had an idea. "Everyone up on Kaltenecker!" "Did you buy a cow?" "It was free with purchase!" Then, they fled on Kaltenecker with and their items as Varkon gave chase and they leaped off of the ledge before landing, with Jenny feeling exhilarated. "Yeah! That was so awesome!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Coran was still stuck on his task of finding Scaultrite. Then, he found a shop that seemed like an Unilu swap shop. "Hold on a tick, this looks familiar!" He then walked in the building and looked at the items there. "Oh, lookie-lookie. An original Unilu swap shop!" Coran laughed before the wonder revealed himself. "Good eye, friend. This ship's been in my family since before the empire began. Can I interest you in a butcher barrel? Or perhaps a set of window breakers?" Then, he noticed an important item there. "Teludav lenses! Yes! I mean, I don't have any idea what these pieces of junk are." "I see you've got your eye on these antique glass table toppers here." "Well, they're pretty ugly. But I do have an empty curio cabinet for grotesqueries. How much do you want?" "How much have you got?" "Oh, I have a handful of pocket lint." "I'll take your first-born child." "I might be able to throw in a used handkerchief." "I could accept your left foot." "I'd be willing to sing you a song!" "You become my butler for one year." "Two Altean crown bills." "Five Valuvium ingots." "Oh, would you accept an IOU?" "Of course. I'll just need some collateral. Maybe ten Valuvium ingots!" "Or how about this? One Olkari flying cube." Coran presented the flying cube he'd received from Olkarion before to the Unilu. "You've got a deal!" Coran chuckled to himself before he walked out with the Scaultrite and found the Paladins riding on Kaltenecker before Keith spoke to him. "We gotta go, Coran!" "I got the Scaultrite lenses!" The Unilu heard this and grew suspicious. "Scaultrite? Hold on a tick!" "No take-backs!" Then, they saw Varkon behind them. "Get back here!" Then, they all screamed as they ran away from him before Jenny saw an opening. "There!" Then, she darted Kaltenecker forward to the exit before Varkon could catch them. "Doggone it! You better run! Don't let me catch you in my jurisdiction again, pirates!" Lance grew cocky in the situation. "Oh, do you can't follow us outside, huh?" Lance began taunting Varkon before he ended up hitting his head on the ceiling and falling to the ground as Jenny facepalmed herself and Varkon did a victory sign. "That's one for Varkon."

* * *

At the Castle, Coran did a report on how it went. "We got our lenses!" Allura turned back to them wearing a different hairstyle made by the mice. "Excellent! Now, we can get the teludav up and running." Then, Keith and Ayame noticed Shiro wasn't there. "Where's Shiro?" "Is he okay?" "To answer their questions, Shiro walked out of the door before Allura spoke to him. "What did you do, take a nap?" "Not exactly." Then, he turned to Lance and noticed their new friend. "Is that a cow?" "Mm-hmm, his name is Kaltenecker." Then, Kaltenecker mooed before Jenny corrected him. "Uh, actually, Kaltenecker's a girl?" Lance grew surprised at this in shock. "What?! How was I supposed to know that?!" Then, she pointed at her tail which had a bow on it. "Oh." Keith and Ayame turned to Shiro for answers on what had happened to him. "So, did you find a way to bond with the Black Lion?" "Yes." "What happened?" "While I was trying to bond with the Black Lion, I fought Omegus with Zarkon." "What?" "And I think I know why he needs Voltron now. He needs it to remove Omegus from his body." Keith remembered when he was fighting against Zarkon at the command center as he was speaking with two voices instead of one. "So that explains why he was so strange." "Yeah, and we need to get moving. We're headed to the Blade of Marmora headquarters." Lapis knew it'd be good news that her father shouldn't miss. "I'll get my father up here. They should know he's still alive." Coran got to an important matter of getting there as well. "I'll plot a course." "While you're doing that, I'm gonna hook up the video game Lance and I bought." Then, Jenny turned to Allura and tapped her shoulder. "Um, Allura?" "Yes?" "I, Uh, got something sparkly for ya." She presented a diamond jewel from the ring she'd gotten before handing it to her. "Oh, that's so beautiful, Jenny. Thank you so much." "You're welcome. Just glad I was able to get it for you." Then, she looked toward Lance and Pidge as they tried to find a place to connect it. "Yeah! Let's see this baby up." "Where can we... how do..." Then, Pidge and Lance's faces grew shocked before Jenny spoke to Lance in a sultry voice. "Oh, Lance? Where's my sparkly thing?" Then, Lance realized he'd forgotten what he needed to get before he admitted it, much to Pidge's horror. "Oh, quiznak, I forgot." "What?! T-that means... we're her targets for the whole week!" Jenny felt hurt that he didn't get her anything and began to laugh evilly before she lunged at them as the unfortunate victims shouted. "No!"

 **A/N: There we go. For those of you who don't know yet, I've apparently broken two rules on this site: Non-story content, and script format are strictly prohibited. So, that should explain why this chapter looks so different than the others. I'm also working on editing those as I speak. I hope this doesn't become too much of a bother.**


	21. Trinity of Blades

**Chapter 20:** Trinity of Blades

At the Castle, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis were looking at their luxite blades as Shiro asked Coran about how close they were to reaching the coordinates.

"Coran, how soon will we get to the Blade of Marmora's base?"

"Based on the coordinates that Ulaz gave us, we should be there within a few doboshes."

Pidge and Hunk were excited to see the technology of the Blade of Marmora overall.

"I can't wait to see it. I mean, they were able to fold space-time, and that was just an outpost!"

"Mm, the space taco. It left us too soon."

Hunk's stomach growled in remembrance before Pidge spoke onward.

"Well, sure, but my point is, imagine how amazing their home base will be!"

"Exactly, it could take on any shape. Like a space jelly donut. Or long, like a space éclair. Or a space cheese blintz with a cherry sauce on top. Maybe a little dusting of powdered sugar. That's the stars."

That made Lance's appetite grow insatiable.

"Aw! Now, I'm hungry for breakfast."

Jenny didn't see any reason why he should be.

"Uh, didn't you eat breakfast already?"

Keith wanted to get everyone on task as he spoke up.

"Guys, this is a serious mission. We need to focus."

Lance only mocked Keith despite the importance of it.

"We need to focus."

That earned a slap on the head from Jenny as she glared at him.

"Don't poke the bear, Lance. It's bad enough you forgot something sparkly for me, so just drop it, okay?"

Ayame and Keith were shocked that Jenny had been holding onto this grudge for a whole quintant.

"Whoa."

"Still haven't gotten over it, huh?"

Jenny hmph'd as Coran pointed out that the Castle got closer to its destination.

"The base is in range."

"Take us in slowly."

"This might prove the tiniest bit of a challenge."

Ahead of them was blue ray of light caught in the middle of two black holes. Hunk thought it was familiar on Earth standards.

"Is that a black hole?"

"No, no, no, no, no. It's two black holes and a giant blue star."

"That's not better." Pidge knew Hunk was correct.

"No kidding. Just inside a black hole, the temperature is one millionth of a degree above absolute zero. But just outside of that, it's hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius."

Hunk came up with a space food reference for that.

"Okay, it's like a when you try to nuke a frozen burrito in a microwave, and it comes out all scorching hot on the outside, but it's still frozen in the middle, right?"

That made Lance even hungrier than before.

"Now, I'm hungry for lunch!"

Jenny was getting annoyed with that now as she snapped.

"Well, nobody cares!"

Keith wanted to stop their potential argument before it got started so they could get back to the mission.

"Guys, quiet! Arguing isn't gonna get us anywhere. Coran, where's the base located?"

Coran pulled up another scan inside the blue star and found an asteroid.

"In between those three deadly celestial objects."

Pidge and Allura gave their two cents before Jenny and Hunk gave theirs.

"The perfect defense position."

"Or the perfect trap."

"Or maybe it's both?"

"Yeah, I'm with you guys. Maybe we shouldn't, like, go in there at all?"

Ayame and Zaltron saw no point in turning back, however.

"Any other day, we would ignore this. But they could be the only allies we have in this war. If we don't get their help, who else is gonna help us in the next quintant?"

"I agree. The Blade of Marmora are skilled in secrecy and skill. We'll need both to achieve victory over Zarkon. Any other path would lead to eventual defeat."

Then, Lance found himself convinced.

"Well, okay. I guess we're in."

Keith and Sandra turned to Lapis, who was still looking at her blade.

"You okay, Lapis?"

"Yeah, you've been staring at that blade ever since you brought your father here."

"I'm fine, you guys. It's just... my father always told me I was bound to be a fellow blade someday. I just didn't think it'd actually come true..."

Just then, a message from the Blade of Marmora appeared in the Castle's transmission.

"Identify yourself."

Shiro took his turn before Zaltron spoke after.

"Open a hailing frequency. We are the Paladins of Voltron sent here by Ulaz."

"And with them is Zaltron, the champion of the Blade of Marmora, and his daughter, Lapis."

For a while, there was silence before the response came in.

"Seven may enter. Come unarmed."

The transmission then ended before Allura had doubts of her own before Azix put said doubts to rest.

"Why would they insist we come alone?"

"This is customary procedure. Though, in my day, they only accepted two. It's quite a step up."

Babak didn't feel convinced.

"Still, I don't feel right about this, Shiro."

"We've come too far to turn back now."

"But there's no safe route to even guarantee entrance."

Then, Ayame noticed an arrow that headed towards the center in a diagonal upright position before curving back down.

"What about this route?"

Coran noticed this too and pointed it out.

"Of course. They just sent us a route to the base, but we'll have to move quickly. Because of the solar flares it's only open for another varga. Then, it will be closed for two quintants."

Hunk got surprised on how long it'd take before Pidge corrected him.

"They're gonna close it for two years?"

"Two days."

"Oh."

Lance began wondering on who should go before asking Shiro.

"So, any thoughts on who's gonna join you on this little mission? I'm thinking things might get a little hot, so you're gonna want someone who can stay cool."

"You're right. Keith, Sandra, Ayame, you're coming with me."

The trio grew surprised before Lance objected.

"We are?"

"What? Okay, Sandy and Ayame, I can understand, but Keith's a hothead! He's probably going to shoot first and ask question later! And they're not gonna be able to answer his questions because they'll be dead!"

Jenny gripped Lance's ear before dragging him back to the chair as she barked at him.

"Well, too bad! Nobody always gets what they want. I didn't!"

Then, Jenny turned to Shiro and the others upon realizing he does make a good point.

"But he's right, though. If Keith snaps, how is he gonna get answers if he either kills them or gets killed?"

"We haven't yet severed Zarkon's link to the Black Lion, so it has to stay here. And the Red and Violet Lions can withstand the heat from the sun. So, yes, it'll be Keith."

"You know that doesn't answer my question."

"Keith can choose for himself what the right thing to do is. I believe in him."

Then, Jenny looked to Keith before speaking to him.

"Well... good luck."

"Thanks."

Then, Coran pointed out the dangers.

"The course to the base will be quite treacherous to say the least. You're walking a razor's edge between the gravitational pull of the black holes and the sun. One false move, and you'll either be crushed into infinity or burned to a crisp."

Lapis didn't see any reason to worry.

"It's alright. As long as we stay on the route, we'll be fine."

* * *

Later, the Red and Violet Lions took off to the base before Shiro spoke to Ayame.

"Ayame, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You seemed so eager to get to the base."

"Well... a few days ago, I promised I'd help Keith and Sandy find out who gave them their blades."

"But what about you?"

"I know Xarnas gave it to me as a gift, and apparently, I unlocked it as well. So that leaves me out of it."

Keith took his turn to check on her.

"Are you sure you're okay with all this?"

"Yes. I know who I am, thanks to you guys. I want to help return the favor. And if that means sticking by you when you become leader, so be it."

"Wait, Ayame. Become the leader?"

"You don't remember? When we were stranded, Takashi told you if anything ever happened to him, he wanted you to lead Voltron."

"That can't be true. Right, Shiro?"

Then, Shiro only confirmed Ayame's answer. "Actually, it is."

"I thought you were just delirious with pain. Why would you make me the leader?"

"Because I know what you're capable of, if you can learn some self-discipline."

"Why are we even talking about this? Nothing is gonna happen to you."

"It's just in case. I need you to get focused."

Sandra pitched in with the conversation before Shiro took his turn again.

"Yeah. When you guys ran off, I had to fill in for you as the Red Lion, not that I didn't enjoy helping you out."

"If you're going to be a leader, you need to get your head on straight."

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"I know. We all have."

Then, an alarm went off as they were being sucked into a black hole.

"We're getting drawn in by one of the black holes!"

Then, Lapis noticed this before she got worried.

"Keith! Get out of there!"

The Red Lion booster it's thrusters before jumping on a rock and got back to the route with the Violet Lion in front of the Red Lion just before the solar flare sealed the entrance.

Lapis and Shiro knew it was a close call.

"Phew!"

"Great job! That was close."

When they landed and got out, they saw nothing but rock within the solar flare.

"There's nothing here. This place just looks like a plain asteroid."

Then, an elevator rose up for them to see three masked Blades waiting for them before Lapis spoke.

"They are real..."

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, two Druids were "escorting" a lieutenant to Haggar's chamber where she'd interrogate him as Thace looked on in worry. In her chambers, Haggar held a black and dark purple orb to him.

"I am going to ask you some questions. I will know if you lie."

The lieutenant could only sit and stare at it as it neared him.

* * *

Inside the elevator, Lapis looked around the workings of the base in awe as it went down. All the while, Ayame was growing anxious. The only reason she had the blade to begin with was because of Xarnas' betrayal. And even if he paid his debt, she didn't. She's worried about what it could take for it to be paid before Sandra placed her hand on Ayame's shoulder.

"Hey, Ayame. You doing okay?"

"I'm just... anxious."

Shiro found himself in agreement.

"Me too. We'll try to keep this short."

Then, the elevator went all the way down to the base before they walked toward the masked leader, surrounded by a female blade with a mask as well as Ulaz and three other males. The leader spoke to them once they've stopped.

"I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora."

Lapis placed her first against her chest before closing her eyes.

"It's an honor to be in your presence, sir."

Then, she introduced herself and her company from left to right.

"I'm Lapis. You've all known Zaltron and Azix. And these are my friends, the Paladins."

"We already know who you are. Ulaz told us about you."

"Then you also know he sent us to you, too."

Kolivan didn't think it wise.

"Ulaz was a fool to divulge this location to you. He always has a penchant for ignoring orders and following his impulses."

"Just like a certain Paladin I know."

Keith grew offended by Lapis' comment.

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true."

Then, Zaltron spoke next.

"With all due respect, he risked his own life for the sake of ours, thanks in part to the White Paladin's heart."

As Zaltron motioned to her, Ayame grew tense.

"His willingness to put his life on the line was what brought us here today, and Voltron stands ready to assist you."

Then, the female noticed Keith and whispered his name.

"Keith..."

Kolivan, however, was interested in their presence of luxite.

"You were told to come unarmed."

Keith and Shiro thought they were overreacting.

"You also told us to identify ourselves. Our lions are as close as we come to an ID."

If anything happens, believe me, you'll be happy to have the Red and Violet Lions on your side."

"I imagine we would, but I wasn't referring to your beasts."

Then, without warning, one of the three males darted toward Keith. Ayame saw this and reacted by reaching for her own luxite blade and summoning a naginata to stop him, surprising all.

"Stay back."

Keith was just as surprised as well.

"What's going on here?"

Then, two more males swiped the luxite blades from Keith and Sandra. One of them pointed out what type it was while the other assumed the worst.

"They have our blades."

"Who did you steal these from?"

Keith felt he was being put on the spot.

"I didn't! I've had it all my life."

"Lies!"

Then, the female spoke to him.

"He's not lying, Antok."

"What?"

"He speaks the truth."

"How can you trust him?"

Kolivan put the leash on Antok for the time being.

"Hold, Antok. Lapis, can you corroborate your friend's statement? Does this blade truly belong to him?"

Lapis made no hesitation to do so.

"Yes. When I was rescued by the Paladins, I've found out he was in possession of luxite like I was. Since then, we've been at work trying to figure out where it came from. Gathering evidence from the past, we've made a simple observation: it was passed down to him from someone in his family that is of Galra blood."

That surprised Kolivan and the other blades that were present in the arena.

"And the same goes for the Sister as well."

Kolivan wanted to confirm this.

"And you're certain?"

"Yes. I am."

Then, he focused on another matter: the one presently holding a naginata luxite blade.

"And what of this one?"

Ayame did her own explanation, as tense as she was.

"As painful as it is to say... I'm the princess of the Galra Empire."

That made the surprised blades even more stunted before Kolivan spoke.

"So you're the one Xarnas passed his blade to... our organization is built on secrecy and trust. Lapis, you and your father can stay, but the rest of you should leave. Now."

Shiro saw no reason to be here when they're not wanted, though Lapis felt sorry for that.

"Sorry, guys."

"It's alright, Lapis. We came here to forge an alliance, but obviously we're not welcome. Come on, Keith. We're leaving."

Keith wasn't willing to leave, however, and neither was Sandra.

"Not without some answers."

"Somehow, your knives ended up with us on Planet Earth. There has to be a reason."

"Your friend is right. It is time for you to go."

Sandra decided to make her position clear.

"Why give us the blades at all if you're just gonna tell us no? We're given those blades for a reason. We need to know what that is."

"You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here.

"And what's that?"

"The Trials of Marmora. Should you survive, you two will keep the blades and all their secrets will be revealed."

Ayame and Shiro grew tense at this, fearing the worst.

"Survive?"

"Guys, this is crazy. If they're not going to help, let's get out of here."

Keith took Sandra's side in response.

"We're not going anywhere. We have to do this."

Then, Lapis stepped in.

"I wish to take the Trials as well. I've waited my whole life to find you. I want to follow in my father's footsteps."

Kolivan didn't speak for a moment before he spoke.

"Antok, Jareth, give them their blades."

The tallest one gave Keith his blade while the shortest of the two (one that was exactly Sandra's size) gave Sandra hers. Antok and Keith glared toward each other as Jareth and Sandra eyes each other.

"We'll meet again."

"Can't wait."

"I should warn you. Those trials are dangerous."

"Can't be worse than fighting the Galra."

"These trials result in one of two things: Knowledge or death."

* * *

Later, Keith, Lapis, and Sandra were in their training outfits, but they were also in different sanctions of their trials. At both sanctions, each one had a fighter ready to combat them.

"Surrender the Blade. You cannot win."

While Keith lunged at him and slashed his knife at him and missed only to be sliced by the shoulder, Lapis let her opponent make the first move as he moved in to attack. Seeing the opportunity, she caught his arm with her blade and tossed him over. She moved in to strike afterward, only for the fighter to counter in time before kicking her away. The two then stood to face each other, their blades ready. As for Sandra, she glared at him, waiting for him to make the next move, but still, he did nothing. At the central hub, Shiro, Ayame, Zaltron, the unknown female, and Azix watched as their individual trials.

"Come on, Keith."

* * *

As Keith continued to fight, he was only countered and left open for the fighter to hold his arm back before placing his blade near the base of his neck.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

"I won't quit."

"Then the pain continues. You are not meant to go through that door."

The fighter lifted his blade away from his neck before Keith walked out the door.

* * *

Lapis, however, was still in the middle of her fight. As she panted her breath, she began to smile, catching her opponent off-guard.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I know it's to the death and all, but... to me that just means no holding back."

"You probably can't tell, but I agree."

Then, the two of them charged each other before clashing their blades. Then, when Lapis tried to slice his chest, he ducked and backflipped away. Lapis ran toward him before he did a slide on the ground, tripping her backwards before he caught her in his arms. Lapis blinked her eyes in confusion before the fighter spoke.

"Is that really all you got?"

Lapis smirked before she wrapped her legs around his head and spun him around before rolling away.

"Nope. I'm wondering the same about you, though."

* * *

As Lapis had some fun with her fighter, Keith had to fight two on one. The moment it started, he was greatly overwhelmed, earning Shiro and Ayame's concerns.

"Why are you letting this go on?!"

"This is not a fair fight!"

Nor is taking in the Galra, yet that is the fight we face."

Keith screamed as he was tripped by one fighter and knees by another before the first pointed his sword at him.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

"Never!"

"You are not meant to go through that door."

As Keith's trial went on, he faced one fighter more of the group and each time he failed, he also refused to give in. Ayame was wondering if he'd even survive the consequences.

"How long does this go on?"

Kolivan answered the princess's question bluntly.

"Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop."

"But he'll never stop."

"One way or another, this will end. Knowledge or death."

* * *

As Keith continued through his torture, Sandra was still stuck on her own. As she glared at him, she received a deadringing flashback of her own. For whatever reason, she felt anxious and she had no idea why. The last time she felt this frightened was... Then it came back to her. She'd tried so hard to forget that moment and succeeded. But that didn't stop it from coming back.

* * *

 _At the Garrison, back when she first enrolled, Sandra found herself at the mercy of Zach Brierty, a common bully who's in first class. He was furious at her for not paying proper respects._

" _Listen, newbie. Being the superior here, you're supposed to address me as sir. Is it too much to ask for a little respect around here?"_

 _Sandra didn't say anything before he spoke louder._

" _Answer me!"_

 _Then, he slapped her across the face with a backhand, knocking her to the ground as she yelped. Far away, Keith saw this and shouted at him._

" _Hey! Leave my sister alone!"_

 _Zach let his cockiness got the better of him before he spoke to Keith._

" _And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it?"_

 _Then, Zach began mercilessly kicking Sandra in the gut. That made Keith angry before he roared and punched him. After that, one thing led to another in that battle as Sandra lied on the floor and tried hard not to let her tears out, but failed as she sobbed._

* * *

Finally, she's had enough waiting as she got her blade out and shouted to her opponent.

"Stop messing with me!"

Sandra ran toward the fighter and slashed at him mercilessly only for him to dodge them and retaliate with a backhand smack, knocking her to the floor before she ended up being kicked in the gut, a maneuver all too reminding of her last traumatic experience. She was beginning to feel weak all over again before she felt anger rising within her.

"Enough!"

Then, Sandra gripped his leg before chucking him to the wall and running toward him. As he tried to recover, Sandra lunged at him and repeatedly struck his face from left to right. Then, she formed her hands together before smashing them in his chest as she yelled out.

"You won't torture me again, Zach! Do you hear me?!"

Then, she caught herself on what she was doing before she noticed that his mask was broken in the process, revealing a purple face with dark blue-purple hair, yellow sclera and purple eyes. Then, he overtook her by flipping her and planted his blade near her throat. Realizing what she could've done Sandra didn't want to fight anymore and felt she needed to disappear.

"Go ahead. Do it. I don't want to live with this anymore... I just... I just want it to end..."

However, the fighter only drew his blade away from her and spoke to her gently.

"There's only one way for it to end. You have to surrender the blade."

Then, she got the pieces together. The blade represented her feelings of weakness and anger. If she cling onto it any longer, she could've been a murderer. That was the path she didn't want to take. Acknowledging this, she nodded to him before holding her blade to him.

"Thank you... for helping me."

Then, to her surprise, the blade glowed brightly before it overcame the area. As it dimmed, the knife had changed to a katana. Even more surprising, her skin color changed purple and her short raven hair had turned Violet with pointy ears sticking out of it.

"W-What just happened?"

"You've awakened the blade. It does belong to you."

Sandra smiled at him before hugging him. Caught off guard, the fighter proceeded to hug her back.

* * *

At the main hub, Shiro, Ayame, Azix, Zaltron, Kolivan, and the unknown female watched it all go down before she asked Kolivan.

"How did she change?"

"She didn't. She had merely awakened her true self as well as her blade. Hopefully, your friend can do the same."

Then, she looked over to Lapis' section. She didn't have to worry about Lapis; this whole fight seemed to be like a date to her.

She might as well be right as she was smiling the whole time she fought. They clashed their blades together as they got closer to each other. Lapis spoke to her fighter.

"How long are you gonna keep this up?"

"Depends. How long you holding onto that blade?"

"Just until you actually earn it."

That caught him by surprise before she tripped him and pointed her knife at him. However, he merely kicked her hand away before he rammed himself into her and held her arms on the ground.

"It's customary to say this. Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

Lapis felt like he's earned it and chuckled as she handed it to him.

"Alright. You win. Here you go."

"Huh? You sure?"

"More than sure. I can't imagine anyone else who'd fight alongside me when I need him... partner."

"Partner?"

"Until now, I never really believed there are other Galra out there that are truly good like my father. You helped me see that. So here you go."

Then, it glowed brightly before it dimmed to reveal its shape had changed to a sword similar to her father's. Lapis knew what it meant.

"I did it."

Then, her fighter unmasked himself before he held his hand out to her.

"My name's Caxas. Welcome to the club."

Lapis smiled as she shook his hand.

"Thanks for having me, partner."

* * *

At the Castle, everyone was waiting for them impatiently, Allura most of all.

"How long has it been?"

Coran checked the time table for the current time before relaying it to her.

"Roughly ten vargas."

"We cannot just wait here."

Jenny and Lance couldn't see a way around this.

"Can we even get in there?"

"The path is closed for, like, I don't know, another 30 vargas or something?"

Coran checked the time and was surprised to see he was right, as was Hunk.

"That's actually correct."

"Really?"

Lance felt proud of himself while Jenny could care less.

"Yeah. I wasn't born yester-quintant."

"I seriously doubt that. If you weren't, I'd have that sparkly thing by now."

Lance frowned at this before Allura tried to check the base, only for Pidge to point out its flaws.

"I-I have to know what's going on down there."

"There's no way to get a read on them. Too much interference from the solar flares and black holes."

Hunk had an idea to go around that.

"If we account for the gravitational lensing, maybe we can reduce the noise and interference and connect with the Red Lion's sensors, right? Th-That's right, right?"

Lance for confused about who he was talking to.

"Are you looking at me?"

Coran knew it was in the realm of possibility as Allura felt it needed to be done.

"We can give it a try."

"Get on it."

* * *

At the command center, Thace drew a small flash drive from his fingernail and installed it before getting to work on the main computer. Moments later, a soldier stepped in and spoke to him.

"Haggar wants to speak with you."

Thace had a worried look on his face before he frowned.

* * *

At the base's main hub, Lapis, Sandra, and their two fighters entered before Kolivan noticed them.

"I trust they've done well, Jareth?"

"Yes. Sandra almost failed, but I helped her see what needed to be done."

Speaking of, Sandra remembered her brother.

"How's Keith?"

Kolivan pointed her to the monitor showing Keith faced with seven fighters.

Keith was breathing heavily as he paid close attention to the doors they came from. Then, he chucked his knife at the door before running toward it. Then, he fought off one of them before he got hit by another and slid off with the momentum before taking his knife and jumping into the door, much to Shiro and Ayame's worry.

"Keith!"

Later, Keith had come out through the elevator door and walked through the hall.

"Guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door."

Then, Keith began to succumb to his injuries and fell as he tried to stay awake. Then, he looked up to notice Ayame and Shiro.

"Keith."

"Hey, man. You did it."

"Shiro? Ayame?"

The two of them lifted him up as Keith grunted.

"Kolivan said you lasted longer than anyone in the trials."

"Ayame's not kidding. You don't have to keep this up."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just give them the knife and let's get out of here."

"I can't do that, Shiro."

Unbeknownst to Keith, those were actually holograms while the real Ayame and Shiro were at the main hub. Shiro grew surprised at those while Ayame became furious.

"Are those holograms?"

"Why are they here?"

"His suit has the ability to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting the wearer's greatest hopes and fears. And, at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see the both of you."

Meanwhile, the hologram of Shiro spoke to him.

"What is it with you and that thing?"

"It's the only connection to my past. Its my chance to learn who I really am."

"You know exactly who you are, a Paladin of Voltron. We're all the family you need."

"Shiro's right, Keith. Its knowledge or death. I, of all people, understand why you need it, but that blade isn't worth your own life!"

"Ayame, you know I respect you and Shiro... but I have to do this."

The hologram of Shiro thought otherwise.

"No, you don't. So just give them the knife."

"I can't do that."

"Just give up the knife, Keith! You're only thinking of yourself, as usual!"

Keith hesitated for a moment before he made his decision clear.

"I've made my choice."

The hologram wasn't pleased with the answer as he glared at him.

"Then you've chosen to be alone."

Then, as the holograms walked away, one of them stopped to look back at Keith with a frown before she spoke.

"I'm sorry..."

Then, she continued walking before Keith ran toward them.

"Shiro! Ayame, wait!"

As they walked away, they seemed to be walking into a bright light ahead of them. It also seemed to have taken Keith into it before it dimmed to reveal his old house at the sunset before an old voice spoke to him.

"Keith."

He looked to see the source of the voice, only to find a man who looks just like him, except with a peach fuzz and shorter hair, as well as a scar on one of his eyebrows.

"Dad?"

"You're home, son."

Outside, there was a rumbling that shook the earth itself.

"What's going on outside?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll be fine as long as we stay in here. Don't you want to catch up?"

"Of course I do."

Keith handed his father the blade before he sighed, remembering his wife saying that he'd need it someday.

"Son, so many years have passed. I have so much to tell you."

Then, the rumbling became louder.

"What is that?"

"Everything's fine."

However, Keith didn't believe that before he looked out of the window and gasped as he saw a Galra Cruiser with a countless multitude of drones just behind its ion cannon. As people screamed, Keith didn't feel this is something to be ignored.

"Dad, I-I'm sorry. I gotta go. There's people that need me out there."

Just before he could walk out, his father spoke again.

"Don't you want to know about where you came from? Your mother gave it to me."

"Mom?"

Then, the rumbling and the screams got even worse before he reminded him what he's waiting for.

"She'll be here soon."

* * *

At the present reality, Keith was lying on the floor groaning in pain, much to the heartache of Ayame.

"I can't stand this... you have to get him out now!"

Kolivan only responded coolly.

"He can decide if he wants to leave."

Shiro agreed with Ayame

"You're messing with his mind. You're going to kill him!"

"Knowledge or death, Shiro."

Ayame didn't really care about it and was more concerned for Keith's well-being.

"I'm not going to let him have either of it means he'll live."

"Me neither. We're calling this off."

Then, Ayame and Shiro began to walk out, only to find two Blades standing in the way.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Keith's dream, he was looking at his father.

"You gotta tell me, Dad. I have to know. Where did the knife come from? What does it mean?"

"Your mother is almost here. She'll tell you everything."

However, with the chaos nearing them, he didn't want to wait.

"I can't wait around anymore. I have to go."

Just before Keith gripped the door, his father spoke again.

"If you go out that door, you'll never find out who you are."

Keith took a moment to think about it before he made a decision and turned to him.

"Goodbye, Dad."

Then, he walked out the door as the scenery turned red.

* * *

Outside, the Red Lion flared its yellow eyes before roaring. Allura and the others noticed this as well.

"The Red Lion is moving!"

Lance urged Hunk to work faster, but he could only work at a certain pace.

"We gotta get down there!"

"It won't be ready for five more minutes."

At his command center, Haggar was interrogating Thace.

"I am going to ask you some questions. I will know if you lie. I have reason to believe that a spy has infiltrated Galra command."

Thace knew very well what it meant and played innocent to cover his tracks.

"That is very alarming."

"Indeed."

Then, Haggar prepared her dark purple orb in front of him.

"Are you aware of any spy within our ranks?"

"No."

"Commander Thace, are you the one who lowered the solar barrier during the Voltron attack, allowing it to escape?"

"No. I fight in the name of Galra. I am loyal to Zarkon."

Then, Haggar dissipated her energy orb before speaking as she walked away.

"You will help me root out this traitor. We will destroy him and all who threaten our reign."

* * *

Back at the base, the Red Lion began attacking the base relentlessly, desperate to check on Keith. On the inside, the base was crumbling as a fighter reported what's happening.

"The Red Lion is attacking the base! It's trying to get through!"

Shiro knew what it meant.

"It has a link with Keith. It knows when he's in danger. It's coming for him."

Then, Ayame's eyes turned yellow for a moment as she used a shadow pulse to force the blades away before she, Sandra, Lapis, and Shiro ran out the door, with the unknown female looking on in surprise before running out along with the other blades.

* * *

Outside the base, the Paladins took notice of the catastrophe thanks to Coran.

"The Red Lion has started attacking!"

Hunk got curious as to why.

"Wait, what does that mean? Why would the lion attack? Unless..."

Jenny figured out what Hunk was saying and feared for Ayame's life.

"Oh, no... Don't just stand here! Bust in there now!"

* * *

At the base, Keith opened his eyes to see Shiro and Ayame before they took his arms and lifted him up as Caxas, Jareth, Lapis and Sandra caught up with them.

"Keith. Thank goodness we're not too late."

"Are you okay?"

Keith noticed Sandra's now Galra-like appearance.

"What happened to you, Sandy?"

"Let's just say I've had a wake-up call."

Kolivan was not pleased with their interference, but was more concerned with the Lion's attack.

"Stop what you're doing!"

Keith was oblivious to what they were inferring to.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Ayame filled in the blanks for him.

"You were dying, Keith. And because of that, the Red Lion's attacking the base."

Then, the base shook again before Kolivan ordered them.

"Call off your beast!"

Ayame knew of only one way to handle this.

"The only way to do that is if we leave here."

"None of you are leaving with that blade. It does not belong to you. You've failed to awaken it!"

"What does that mean?"

Then, Lapis and Sandra noticed Antok getting out his blade before he prepared to strike.

"Give up the blade!"

Just as Antok moved in, Jareth stood in front of him.

"If you want his blade, you'll have to go through me. We won't let you interfere with his trial."

Then, Ayame realized something.

"That's right... his trial's still going on!"

* * *

At the Castle, Allura checked with Coran.

"Coran, how much longer until we can get in?"

"Just a few more ticks, princess."

"Get ready."

* * *

Back at the base, Keith thought about what the hologram versions of Shiro and Ayame said and knew it had to be done as he noticed Antok preparing to attack his own comrade before he spoke.

"Wait! Just take the knife!"

The group grew surprised to hear this, Ayame most of all, although Lapis and Sandra shared their confusion first.

"Keith?"

"Are you sure?"

"But... you said it's the only connection you have to the past."

"You're right, though. It's not worth my own life. It doesn't matter where I come from. I know who I am. We all need to work together to defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius. If that means I give up this knife, fine. Take it."

After those words, the blade itself spread purple light throughout the room, letting Antok know what it means.

"You've awoken the blade!"

The group looked on before his knife turned into a scimitar of sorts.

"The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins."

Then, Keith looked to Sandra before she laughed nervously before he smiled.

"Well, I guess that explains the look."

Then, the unknown female walked up to Keith and Sandra before speaking.

"Your mother would be so proud of you." Sandra didn't feel it to be sure.

"How would you know?"

Then, her mask faded away to reveal a face similar to Keith's with purple hair in the front and red on the lower back as well as purple eyes.

"Let's just say we have history."

* * *

At the Castle, Allura was waiting for Coran's mark.

"Five... four... three... two... one!"

Just before they could launch, the Red Lion came into view as Shiro spoke.

"Princess, we're coming back, and we're bringing someone you should meet."

Coran was relieved to see them alive.

"They're all right!"

Pidge and the others grew just as relieved.

"Yes, they did it!"

Later, the Red and Violet Lions arrived and landed in the hangar. Next, the Red Lion opened up the cockpit to reveal Shiro, Ayame, Azix, Zaltron, Sandra, and Jareth while the Violet Lion opened up to reveal Lapis, Kolivan, Antok, Krolia, Ulaz, and Caxas. As both groups walked out, Kolivan's mask went away before speaking with Allura.

"Princess Allura, it's good to see that the rumors are true. You're still alive after all these years."

Babak didn't particularly welcome him with open arms.

"So is Zarkon, no doubt. Can we consider you our ally in the fight against him and Kaecilius?"

"Yes, but we have little time to discuss this. I just received word from our spy inside the Galran hierarchy. They have become aware of our presence, so the timetable for our plan has been moved up."

Ayame was wondering when it would take place.

"How soon should we start?"

"Now."

* * *

At his cruiser, Kaecilius was in his chambers consulting with Omegus.

"So, you were unsuccessful in capturing Voltron up close and personal."

"It matters not. I swore that I'd make him endure greater suffering. The Quintessence I've absorbed from that blast will deliver on it."

Then, Omegus glared his eyes at an empty jar before it instantly filled with Chaos Quintessence before solidifying into a comet with red glowing lines around it.

"All the more reason why I'm so eager to use it..."

Then, he heard a soldier step in before he closed the rift and turned to him.

"What is it?"

"Haggar is convinced there's another spy at Zarkon's command center."

"Another spy?"

"Yes. But we hadn't know of this spy for some time until now."

"Is that so?" Then, Kaecilius bore a dark smile.

"Why don't we pay this spy a visit?"


	22. The Belly of the Weblum

**Chapter 21:** The Belly of the Weblum

At the Castle, Hunk had been sleeping in his chair before he snored and was a bit startled. After which, he grew drowsy again before waking up with a start once his head fell out of place. "What? What'd I miss?" Lance brought Hunk up to date on what went down in the time he's slept. "Oh, nothing important. We just figured out a way to defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius." "Really? I dozed for ten minutes, and you guys figured out how to defeat the forces of evil?" Sandra knew he wasn't quite correct. "You've been asleep for three hours." "Oh. That makes sense." As Hunk looked to the team, Shiro, Lapis, Kolivan, Caxas, Ulaz, Zaltron, Azix, Antok, and Jareth were overviewing the hologram of Zarkon's ship. Shiro felt like the plan could work. "I think we've got something here. It's dangerous and there are a lot of moving parts, but if we can coordinate everything just right, then..." Kolivan spoke up the result for him. "Zarkon's corrupt reign will be at an end, and the savagery that's poisoned our universe can finally be cleansed. You've done it, Shiro." "We did it together." Shiro and Kolivan proceeded to do a handshake (minus the shaking part) as Babak spoke up. "As long as we all stick to the plan, it should work." "It will work. And perhaps, then, you'll learn that not all Galra are as bad as Zarkon." Babak turned to Keith, Sandra, Krolia, and Ayame in disbelief. "I hope not." Antok stated his faith to Ulaz, considering how far they've gotten. "Ulaz, you were right to trust them all." "You should be thanking Ayame. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be in this position." Then, Hunk spoke up, wondering what they would do to take out Zarkon. "So, what's the plan?" Lance answered by way of presentation. "The plan is amazing! First, we infect Zarkon's ship with a virus. Then, we make an extra-large wormhole and lure the big baddies inside of it, zapping them a bajillion light years away. Then, when they pop out the other side, all like, 'Oh, why doesn't my ship work?' Voltron kicks their butts! Pew, pew, pew! Womp, womp, womp! Huh! Hi-yah! 'I'll firm the head!' That's what you say, Shiro. Yeah, yeah. Yeah! We won for all time!" Hunk was astounded about how far they've come, considering how they started out. "Wow. So this is it." Pidge knew there's only one thing left. "I guess the only question is, when do we strike?" Coran spoke to the others. "As soon as we build a teludav big enough to wormhole Zarkon's ship and Kaecilius' cruiser." Hunk wasn't quite pleased with that. "Oh, man. The teludav again? Does that mean we need more Scaultrite?" Allura knee there's more to it than that. "That's just one of the many things we need." Azix pointed out the rest. "Once we get the Scaultrite, we must get our top engineer, Slav. After that, we require a crystal from Balmera. But we don't need just any crystal; we require the largest one we have. Then, the teludav must be expanded to accommodate its size. Only then will..." Before he could finish, Azix noticed Ayame's dismal look before Keith, Sandra, and Krolia did. "What's wrong Ayame?" "Yeah. We're so close to ending this." "I'm fine, you guys. It's just... I don't understand how everyone could be so calm." Keith thought about her heritage and thought she knew what it was. "Are you still thinking about Zarkon?" "Zarkon, the Galra, Kaecilius, all of it! Something big is going on and no one seems to be doing anything about it." Lance begged to differ. "Uh, hello? Didn't you see the plan? Between all those errands, I'm sure we'll be able to take care of it." "Well, I'm not! You don't know Kaecilius like I do." Babak knew she wasn't quite correct. "I beg to differ. Although, you might be onto something. If Kaecilius found us first before Zarkon, he must have a spy that tipped him off somehow." "Exactly." Then, Hunk spoke what was on his mind. "Okay, look. Between saving the Balmera, freeing the Olkarions, and saving the Taujeerians, I'm sure you guys all think you're ready to take them out." Pidge grew confused about that. "Uh... who?" "But, again, I have to be the voice of reason. We're just a bunch of untrained pilots. We're not cut out for this type of situation. We're just not ready." "And we may never be ready! Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for us to trap them. They're still out there, planning their next move, and no one knows what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not." Coran agreed with Ayame. "I'm afraid I'll have to concur. It does seem too good to be true for victory to come this close. For this plan to succeed, we're gonna need to split up. We all have a task to do. Keith, Ayame, Hunk, Sandra, you'll be in charge of getting the Scaultrite. If any one of us fails, the whole plan fails."

* * *

At the Yellow Lion's hangar, Ayame watched as Keith and Shiro did their man hug as Pidge shook hands with Hunk, the two of them shedding tears. All the while, Sandra looked back to Babak before he turned away without hesitation and crossing his arms, earning her sad look as she hung her head down. Then, the first group fled via Yellow Lion before a wormhole opened and they entered it.

* * *

In the Blue Lion's Hangar, Pidge, Lance, Shiro, Belle, and Jenny were in charge of rescuing Slav. Pidge was petting the mice before Lance turned to Jenny before she turned away and crossed her arms. "Come on, Jenny. A kiss would make you feel better." Then, Lance closed his eyes and puckered up before Jenny drew an exasperated sigh and grabbed a mouse on Allura's shoulder and gently placing its face I front of Lance's. He caught on too late and found the mouse smooching him as he muffled his yelp. Then, the second group took off before another wormhole opened up and they went in it.

* * *

In the Violet Lion's Hangar, Lapis was to go with Kolivan, Ulaz, Antok, Azix, Caxas, and Jareth to the Blade of Marmora headquarters in an attempt to find out who the potential spy is. Lapis was now saying goodbye to her father. "I hope you can be safe, Father." "As I wish the same for you as well." Then, Lapis and her father hugged each other before they had to leave. Zaltron was to leave via pod with Coran to assist in preparing a giant teludav in Olkarion. Coran assures Allura that they'd meet again. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again." "Take care, Coran." "Stay safe, princess." Then, Zaltron and Coran took off as Allura stayed in the Castle and headed to the Balmera.

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, he was doing the ritual to seek out the Black Lion, but to no avail as he heard Omegus' infernal voice echoing to him. "Zarkon... Zarkon... Zarkon!" That caused one of the Druids to fall to the floor in surprise and exhaustion from how much Quintessence he was using before Zarkon fell next. Haggar tried to check up on him. "Did you find the lion?" Zarkon groaned as he met another misfortune. "Nothing." "It is wise that you rest." "I will find that lion. Begin the process again." Then, Haggar and the Druids continued their ritual, minus the Druid that fell.

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Omegus related his condition to his pupil. "Zarkon. Each time he seeks it out, he grows weaker." "He can try all he wants until he quits breathing. Since Shiro has renewed his bond, it's basically futile to seek him out unless it is active again. In the meantime, I suspect the Paladins will try to pull a trick over us." "And how would you prepare for that?" "Simple. I've sent Varek to central command for reconnaissance on a certain spy here. He'll find out with whom he's working for and send an agent of our own there. Once they're removed, their plan, however unknown, will fall to pieces."

* * *

In space, Hunk was utterly ungrateful for the missions he had to go through. "Why does Allura get to take a leisurely visit to the Balmera while we have to fly into the belly of a giant space worm to get Scaultrite?" Keith reminded him of what is most important. "You heard Coran. Building a huge teludav isn't easy. Everyone has a job to do, and this is ours." "But I always get the worst jobs. Go to a Galra occupied planet to get my lion. Go to a Galra occupied Balmera to get a crystal. Go into a belly of the beast with Galra alien team members." Sandra heard that and wasn't really happy with that. "Shut up, Hunk! I've had to put up with your complaints day in and day out, but now you're complaining about me helping you?! Because if that's how you feel, I just won't help you at all!" At this point, Hunk realized that he should've remembered that Sandra being half Galra was a touchy subject for her. "No, Sandy. I-I didn't mean it like that." "No! No, I want to know what you really think about me! Do you even want me to be here or not?!" Ayame clutched her hand on Sandra's shoulder and tried to snap her out of it. "Sandy. He didn't mean it. Not that way. So calm down." "And here I thought you had a problem with everyone being calm." Ayame would've snapped at this, but she knew better and just let it go. "Touché." Keith took his turn to step up and remind everyone. "Let's just concentrate on the job here." "Yeah." But as much as he tried, Hunk couldn't help but think about her Galran heritage and asked about it. "I, uh, don't mean to bother you, but was-was your mom the alien? Your grandpa? How Galra are you?" Sandra, annoyed as she already was, just tried to brush it off. "Why do you want to know so much?" "I'm not trying to make you feel unwanted, Sandy. This is a judgement-free zone. Whatever you have to say, you can tell me." "Doesn't mean I want to." "Wow. You're real tight-lipped, aren't you? Just like the Blade of Marmora. I get that your society is secret, but is everything a secret?" Now Keith was the one getting annoyed. "Okay, look, it's bad enough that Babak hates us now. Can you just lay off?" "Babak doesn't hate you. You just need to give him time to accept the fact that you're Galra, a race hat enslaved his planet and all of his people." Then, Hunk rethought his own words. "Yeah, he might hate you a little bit." That didn't make Sandra feel any better. "In that case, I might want to kill you a little bit." Hunk laughed nervously before Keith motioned her to let it go while he brought everyone back on task. "Let's just watch the video Coran uploaded and stat on task. We need to figure out how to collect this stuff." Then, a feed came up and showed Coran with a spiky upright haircut and a short-sleeved blue shirt. "Hello, brave Altean!" The group was surprised by his outfit and Hunk found it funny. "No way. Is that Coran?" "So, you're about to go into the belly of a weblum to harvest Scaultrite. Good for you! Scaultrite is an important substance, with thousands of commercial and industrial uses, including fabrication foam, insect night vision goggles, teludav—" Then, the video went glitchy with the group looking nervous at how much information they could miss. "Uh..." "—anti-fungal Klanmüirl lotion and other such lubricants." Keith wondered why it glitched before Hunk gave the answer. "What's wrong with the video?" "It's ten thousand years old. It's probably corroded." Then, the video went back to normal from static. "I could go on for days, But you've got a weblum to enter and some Scaultrite to collect. Oh, look! There's a weblum now. Hello, big fella!" Then, a cartoon version of the weblum appeared beside Coran. "Hey, Coran! I'm off to eat some planets. There's one now! Nyum, nyum, nyum, nyum, nyum, nyum, nyum!" "We'll see you soon! As you probably remember from school, the weblum is an enormous creature and an integral part of keeping our universe functioning. It survives off of the—left over from the dead planets. It then reconverts the Quintessence remnants by—becoming the building blocks of new solar systems. Incredible, isn't it?" That made Sandra think about how Earth and its solar system existed. "Oh, no. Are you kidding me right now?" "Of course, these are no gentle giants. They're actually giants that are quite deadly, which leads to rule number one. It's an important one, so listen closely. Stay away from its—" Before Coran could finish, the static skipped the last crucial part. "You got that?" Hunk didn't hesitate to answer. "No. No, I didn't." Sandra had to remind him he isn't actually talking with them. "Hunk, he isn't actually talking with us." "It's like a rhyme. Say it with me. Stay away from its—" However, the rhyme was skipped as well. "Oh, come on!" As Hunk complained, Sandra tried to figure out what rhymed with 'stay' and 'way'. "Like a rhyme, huh?" "Other things to remember include avoiding the poisonous—eye sockets—could lead to certain death!" Ayame ultimately decided it wasn't helpful and paused it. "Obviously, this is getting us nowhere. I'll see if there's anything on how to get in." As Ayame looked over the video, the group looked at the area around them. Hunk and Sandra got Ayame's attention before she turned to see a debris field of giant planet-sized asteroids floating around. "Whoa. You seeing this, Ayame?" "Yeah, Hunk. And I'm starting to wish I never had." "What do you think those are?" Keith had an easy answer for that, morbid as it was. "They look like... dead planets." Hunk took a look at the charts and found energy remaining, despite the surroundings proving otherwise. "That's strange. The charts I'm looking at show those planets should still be thriving. Wow. What do you think happened to them? Asteroid strike?" Sandra grew doubtful of that. "No, Hunk. No asteroid can be that big to do this." Keith backed up her theory. "Something tells me they died an unnatural death." Just then, they heard demonic shrieking and the group turned to see a red and light Violet colored creature with glowing yellow eyes and glowing red snarled teeth. Ayame had a guess about the creature. "Do you think that thing is responsible?" The creature then took off toward the Paladins before shooting at it with its eyes. Sandra didn't want to be anywhere near it anymore than Hunk. "I don't know, but I don't want to find out!" "I'm with you, Sister!" Then,Hunk steered the Yellow Lion away and flew in full speed as the creature gave chase, unaware that a giant worm appeared. But, thankfully, the Paladins, starting with Hunk, did notice. "Look!" Keith found it a relief that they'd found one. "Guess that ancient Altean weblum tracker put us right on the money." Of course, they still had to deal with a certain tailgater as Hunk panicked. "We gotta get out of here! That thing's following us, and we haven't watched the whole video yet! We don't know what to do!" Keith knew it had to be done. "We're not leaving." Ayame had an idea that was already in play to begin with. "Keith and I'll skim through the video. Just keep your distance." Then, the video skipped all the way to a different segment than they wanted. "So, you've made it into the weblum's first stomach." Ayame decided to rewind that. "That one was too far." Then, Keith found a certain part they haven't noticed and let Ayame know. "Okay, there's good." "Got it." Ayame stopped the rewinding in time for Coran to speak about another topic. "So, you've identified a weblum. Great! Now, remember rule number one. Stay away from its face." Hunk grew worried about that. "Wait, that's rule number one?" Sandra just figured that out and didn't like their odds. "Yeah, and we just about broke it! Hurry up and get us out of the way!" Then, the weblum opened its mouth and prepared to fire just as the creature caught up to them. Before the creature could lay its ethereal claw on it, it got zapped by the weblum as the Yellow Lion evaded the blast. Ayame looked closer in the video. "Come on. How do we get in?" "The weblum's natural defense—venomous laser, deadly acid—total annihilation—death monster—to find its blind spot on the back of its neck, just below the gills." Then, the cartoon weblum appeared again. "That's your way inside! If I can't see ya, I can't kill ya!" Ayame blinked her eyes at this. "Yeah, that's not gonna stop sounding creepy anytime soon. Guys, we have to land on the back of its neck just below the gills!" Hunk got the message before he responded. "Copy that!" With that, Hunk steered the Yellow Lion toward the weblum before landing on its many precipices and leaping off of them. However, it was about to crash as the Yellow Lion rapidly beeped. "This isn't good! This isn't good!" Then, Hunk smashes it against a precipice before crash-landing. The group grunted as the Yellow Lion summoned its armor claws and allowed it to stop from falling. "We're attached to its back, in its blind spot." Keith felt it was a relief. "Good. We're going in." Then, Ayame brought up an issue. "But how are we supposed to get the Scaultrite?" Fortunately, the video Coran sent went to that part. "A quick recap of what to do when you're inside the beast. One, avoid things that want to kill you. Two, get to the third stomach and find the Scaultrite gland. Three, activate the weblum's defense mechanisms and collect the excess material from the gland. That's the Scaultrite!" Keith thought it explained what to do while Hunk felt it needed more before Sandra grew annoyed at that pretty quickly. "Seems simple enough." "Seems under-explained." "You get what you get and you don't get upset." Ayame was not willing to put up with their squabbles and wanted to get on with the mission. "Guys, stop fighting and come on." Hunk and Sandra sighed as Ayame and Keith took off. From there, they used their jet packs to fly to its gills. When the four stopped their movement, only Hunk had difficulty as Sandra facepalmed herself before he got his balance back. "Got it, got it." Then, the Paladins went inside the gills and traveled down in it.

* * *

At the command center, Thace walked in the room only to find a Druid using his magic on the drone's neck where the laceration was made. Needless to say, he was not pleased. "Why are you tampering with evidence?" "Commander Thace, I was ordered to assist you in your investigation into the possible traitors onboard." "Ordered by whom?" "Haggar. I've analyzed the sentry that was destroyed just before the shields went down." "The one that was killed by Prorok. I've already examined him." "So, you found traces of luxite on the wound?" That caught Thace by surprise. Could he have been that careless not to eliminate all traces of it? "It's a very rare metal, and Xaira was the only one authorized to handle it. If we find others on the ship in possession of luxite, we will have found our traitors." "Then what are you waiting for? Begin the search starting with the lower block." "I'll assign some sentries to that." As Thace began to walk out, he got the sense he was being followed. "Is there anything else?" "As chief investigator, your life could be in danger. I have been given orders to remain by your side until we clear all personnel or find the spy." However, the both of them were unaware that Varek was watching in the shadows. "Looks like I've found the traitor. I can practically smell the luxite on him. But I mustn't expose him just yet. First, I want to know who he's really working for..."

* * *

In the weblum, the Paladins just landed, although Hunk just landed on a gas bubble and got disgusted easily. "Uh, yuck! What am I standing on? A mucus pocket? I do not like mucus! And is that steaming stomach acid? Lookit, right over there." As he continued to panic, Sandra was getting more than cross with him as her ears started shaking and her head was practically boiling. "Oh, man, I really hope I don't see any blood." Finally, Sandra double-slapped Hunk Before throttling him enough for him to get a grip. "Just chill out, Hunk! You're just feeling yourself out." "No, standing inches away from a pus-bubble is freaking me out." Hunk stomped on the bubble in the process before getting freaked out again. Sandra was about to slap again when Keith stopped her. "Stop, Sandy. Obviously, it's not working. Look, Hunk, we're inside a disgusting worm. There's no way to sugarcoat it. We're gonna need that big brain of yours if we want to make it through. Will you be all right?" Hunk was still being grossed out before Keith spoke louder. "I said, will you be all right?" "Uh... Okay, okay." Then, he took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'll be okay." Sandra opened her mouth and blinked her eyes in shock as Keith walked up to him. "Good. I gotta be able to count on you. Besides, no one knows an explosive digestive tract like you." Then, Ayame got surprised next. "Keith? Did you just make a joke?" "Maybe." That made her blink her eyes next as Hunk spoke onward. "Seriously, that was a joke, wasn't it? You're saying I throw up a lot. I get it. It's funny." Then, Hunk laughed at this while they flew from one area to another. "I do. Wow. Galra Keith is way funnier than regular Keith." Ayame and Sandra were still in shock over individual reasons. "I don't know what's more surprising. The fact that Keith gave Hunk advice that he actually listened to, or the fact he didn't explode on him." "Are you kidding, Sandra? What surprised me is that he made a joke. Keith didn't strike me as that kind of person." Then, Keith reminded everyone about their goal. "Okay, we need to find a way around the stomach acid." Then, Sandra and the others noticed small green round objects with tentacles coming out of the glowing green holes. "What are these things?" "I don't know. Maybe they're bacteria?" Ayame knew exactly what they were. "Don't go anywhere near them. They want to break us down like we're food." "What?!" Then, Hunk and the others got their bayards ready as Hunk realized what she was talking about. "I get it now. I think they're part o the creature's digestive system! They're trying to break down the food and we're the food!" "Ayame already explained that Hunk!" "Sorry, Sandy!" Then, Keith, Ayame, and Sandra slashed at the creatures while Hunk shot at them, getting one all over his faceplate in the process. "I can't see anything!" Then, Sandra noticed Hunk backing up into the wall and ran after him to catch his arm, only to end up being sucked into the wall along with him as Keith and Ayame noticed too late. "Hunk!" "Sandy!" In the bloodstream, Hunk and Sandra were being pushed by the current. "We're here, guys. Just surrounded by blood." "I hate blood!" "What should we do?" Keith explained to them as he and Ayame were backed to the edge. "You've got to find a way out of the circulatory system." When they were forced to the very edge where the acid was below, Keith and Ayame looked up to see the creatures preparing to swarm them as she sent a message. "Guys! We're outnumbered here! Meet us in the third stomach!" Then, the Paladins made a dive into the acid to be safe from the creatures. But it wasn't to last, however, as their helmets gave off a warning that it'll burn through. "Ugh... so hot..." "Gotta get out of this acid." Then, they swam down to the hole before popping out of it and falling down. As they fell, they saw a ship and used their jet packs to land there before they looked in the cockpit to see a being in blue, grey, and orange armor with a face of a dark blue-skinned woman. "What the—?" "Is that... a pilot?" "Impossible."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandra and Hunk were traveling in the bloodstream still. "I don't like blood-slides!" During their travel, Sandra hit herself hard against the surface thanks to the strong current and ended up knocked out before Hunk noticed and went after her, using the current to speed up. "I got you, Sandy!" Then, he got stuck in a hole as he successfully caught Sandy by her leg. However, he was also stuck in it. "Oh, no. Well, at least I got you."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Ayame were cutting the vines off of the ship before he spoke to the pilot. "Don't move. We're here to help." Then, they slammed their bayards into the cockpit, breaking the glass before lifting her up. "Well, thanks." As they did, though, they noticed a Galra symbol on her arm. "Huh?" Then, Keith reacted by pulling her arm and taking her gun. The stranger looked at him angrily. "What was that for?!" "You're Galra." Then, they noticed more creatures coming and forming a giant one. "Not those things again." "Don't worry. I'll just set the ship to initiate a countdown." Then, Ayame got the gist of what she was doing. "You're turning your ship into a time bomb?" "You got a better idea?" Then, the creatures swarmed at them, only for the trio to jump off away from them before it exploded, getting rid of them while also shoving them farther away with fiery debris and knocking them to the other side.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was hanging on to the unconscious Sandra. "Sandy! Sandy, are you there? Sandy, answer me!" Then, he knew what to say to try to wake her up. And if that doesn't work, he'd at least have told her how he felt. "Listen, Sandy! I'm sorry for putting you all of that mean stuff! I wasn't trying to be mean; I was just trying to understand you! You shouldn't have to die alone for that! I'm not gonna let you, you hear me?!" Then, Sandra woke up with a start before Hunk boosted his jet pack. In the process, they flew out of the bloodstream.

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Ayame were looking up to see the stranger running for her weapon before she tried to take it from Keith before the two somersaulted. Then, the stranger shot three bullets, but they weren't meant for Keith nor Ayame. In fact, they were meant for the leftover creatures. Keith and Ayame turned to her in surprise. "I guess you can keep your weapon." "Who are you, anyway?" "My name's Auxia. And that's all you're getting out of me." "Fair enough. I'm Keith." "And I'm Ayame. But, according to Zarkon, I'm Xaira." That caught Auxia by surprise. "You're Xaira?!" "Yeah, but don't even get me started." Then, Auxia bowed to her unexpectedly. "Its a relief to know that you're still alive princess. I'll gladly help you with whatever you're dealing with. Vrepit Sa." Then, Ayame did the sign back in confusion. "Uh... Vrepit Sa?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk and Sandra had been spat out of the circulatory system as he gagged before she spoke. "Did you really mean that? That you wouldn't let me die alone?" "Of course I did. Remember how we met?"

* * *

 _At the hallway, Hunk was walking in the hall before he heard crying and ran to the source. Then, he noticed Sandra lying on the floor crying. He figured Zach had something to do with that and made sure he still wasn't around. Once the coast was clear, he ran over to her and brushed her hair, earning a light gasp as she looked at him with a tear-marked face. "Hey, hey, hey. Shh. It's okay now. Zach's left the room. I know. I double-checked." "Are you sure?" "Uh, hello? I double-checked. So I'm positive he's not here." Then, Hunk helped Sandra up before she spoke. "Why would be hurt me like that? I didn't do anything wrong..." "No, that's not you. It's Zach. He always thinks he deserves respect around here. Anyone who doubts that just gets beaten up." "Has that ever happened to you before?" "Yeah. A lot. So I made a vow not to get anywhere near him until I graduate, or something." "Then why did you go after me? You could've been beaten up again." "Hey, it wasn't my first beat up. Probably not the last. Besides, what if he killed you?" That made Sandra gasp in fear. "He can do that?" "Technically, no. But there was this one girl, Kumiko, who got bullied so hard that she ended up kicking her own bucket. Worst of all, the guy can pull the wool over the eyes if Garrison security. Total immunity. Point being, I wasn't gonna let you go out like that. There's no way in this green earth I'd ever let that happen to you." Sandra wiped the tears off her glasses and hugged him. "Thank you..." Surprised as he was, Hunk hugged her back in reassurance._

* * *

"That day, I made a promise, remember? I wouldn't let you die alone, Galra or otherwise." "But... you could've died, too." "If it meant you wouldn't be alone, I would do that for you. Though, I prefer not to." Then, Sandra giggled before they noticed a giant hole next to them. "The Scaultrite!" "Oh, my gosh, we found it!" Then, Hunk's stomach grumbled. "Oh, my gosh, don't throw up. Don't throw—" Hunk was able to retain his vomit, fortunately, before they noticed Keith, Auxia, and Ayame coming out of a different path. "Keith! Ayame, you guys made it! We both made it!" Then, he noticed Auxia with them. "Who is this?" Ayame explained it to Hunk as Auxia looked around, raising Sandra's suspicions. "Her name's Auxia. That's all we know about her so far. Oh, that and she's Galra." "What, do you guys all know each other?" Ayame and Keith weren't pleased with Hunk's joke before Sandra whispered to them. "Are you sure we should be rescuing a Galra soldier right now?" Keith then spoke to Sandra. "We're Paladins of Voltron. We can't just leave people to die, even if they are Galra. I mean, Hunk didn't leave you, did he?" Then, she blushed madly before she whispered to him. "That's not the point." "Now, come on. Let's get what we came for and get out." "Okay, well, that— that might be a problem, too." Ayame grew curious about what Hunk meant. "How so?" "The Scaultrite gland somehow secretes mucus, or saliva, or something gross, which becomes crystallized. The only problem is, I think we have to trigger the weblum's defense mechanism." However, Hunk had forgotten about another problem: the creatures trying to break them down as a swarm of them appeared, much to Keith's annoyance. "Not again." Then, they heard rumbling from inside the creature before a huge gust of air blasted from upward and into the creatures, separating them and spreading them out. Hunk wasn't quite happy with that. "They're everywhere! Oh, whoa." However, it also caught the Paladins in its force, causing them to clutch onto the fleshy mass beneath them to hang on while most of the creatures got blown away. Ayame was wondering how this was happening before Hunk answered her. "What's going on?!" "I think this thing is getting rid of the excess gas produced from its multiple stomachs." "What?" "It's farting!" Ayame got grossed out from that as Hunk laughed. Then, the air went away before the group fell onto the squishy floor and got back up. Keith turned to Hunk for a solution. "Hunk, what do we gotta do to get that Scaultrite gland to hoop?" Hunk tried to think of a solution as quick as he can. "Uh, oh. Uh... Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. 'Stay away from its face.' The blue laser. Ah! I know what to do!" "What?" "If we want that third stomach gland to secrete the ooze, I need to get farted out of the weblum's butt and attack the face, getting it to fire its laser puke." Ayame groaned from hearing this explanation as Hunk noticed the creatures forming into a giant one. "For the sake of the universe, I'll provoke the beast! You guys stay here and get that Scaultrite!" Then, the creature began to attack and formed four tentacles. "Hurry! I don't know how long we can hold these things off!" As they evaded the tentacles, Hunk darted toward the creature as a gust of air dissipated it and allowed Hunk to go where the air was.

* * *

Out in space, Hunk was ejected out of the business end of the weblum as he yelled. "I'm out! Heading to my lion now." Unbeknownst to Hunk, a red and Violet creature just watched Hunk as it chirped.

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, he was seeing everything Hunk was doing through the creature's eyes. "So... a hunt for Scaultrite? The only possible use they could have for it is..." Then, he figured it out. They're trying to create a teludav big enough to zap them as far as the universe would allow. But that didn't bother him at all. In fact, he smiled at this. After all, he fixed the coordinates on a wormhole before. He'll certainly try it again. "This changes everything."

* * *

At Zarkon's Command Center, Thace was running to the computer room before attempting to send a message, only to be stopped by his Druid attendant. "Commander, there you are. The lower block has been scanned for luxite. I found nothing." "Then continue the search." The Druid just reminded him of his orders. "Sir, I must remain by your side. Haggar's orders." Then, he just left the room to search with him before Varek appeared and took a look at the computer and noticed the small chip Thace had. He analyzed who he was sending it to with surprise. "The Blade of Marmora..." Then, Varek snickered to himself. "How delicious..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was still in the process of getting to the next part of his plan while Keith, Ayame, Sandra, and Auxia were having difficulty. "Hunk, whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" "We can't hold out much longer!" "Pfft! Come on, I can handle these guys." Then, Sandra go snagged by a tentacle only for Auxia to shoot it off, letting Sandra go. "But, uh, you mind hurrying this up?"

* * *

"Copy that, Sandy. Provoking giant space worm now." Then, Hunk got in front of the giant weblum, but it just passed him by. "Come on!"

* * *

Inside, the creatures just continued to assault them before a swarm of them slammed into Keith's shield. "Hunk!"

* * *

"Let's see you ignore me now." Then, the Yellow Lion powered up, forming a giant armor on its back and dashed into the weblum before Hunk taunted it. "Yoo-hoo! Over here!" The weblum then turned its eyes toward him and opened its mouth, revealing a blue light coming from it. "Yes! Yes, it's gonna do it!" Then, Hunk realized the position he was in. "Oh, no, it's gonna do it!"

* * *

Inside the weblum, the creature pulled its tentacles back as multiple blue lights appeared behind them. Keith knew what it meant. "It's working! I think it's about to get hot in here." Ayame didn't think it wasn't obvious. "You think?!" Then, the group moved as far away as they could before the weblum shot out its laser, causing the blue Scaultrite that was produced to crystallize as they braced the light.

* * *

Outside, Hunk knew what it meant while also being aware of his position. "Oh, yes! Oh, no!" Then, he yelled and grunted as he darted the Yellow Lion out of the way and got in its blind spot. "Oh, yeah! He's out! Tell me you got the Scaultrite." Keith answered him as the group got to work. "Grabbing it now." With that, Keith pushed a button on a capsule before it popped open to reveal a bag.

* * *

Later, 16 bags of Scaultrite were collected with Keith, Ayame, and Sandra looking over them. "Okay, so that's 16 bags." "You really think that'll be enough?" "Who cares? As long as I don't have to stay in that weblum anymore." Then, they heard a weapon whirring behind them with Auxia holding the trigger. "Don't move." Keith was partly expecting that. "So, you're just like the rest of 'em." "Don't go that far just yet. I'm actually here to get some of my own." Ayame was curious about her mission's purpose. "What for?" "I have orders from Prince Lotor." Ayame grew shocked to hear that. "Wait. You're saying... Zarkon has a son?" "Not that I expect you to care, but yes." "Actually, I do. At least tell me this. Why would Lotor need that Scaultrite?" "To make the universe better. To make the Galra Empire better than what it is now." "Then we both want the same thing. We both want it to change." "I'll keep that in mind, Your Highness." Then, before Auxia took off, she turned back to Xaira. "And, by the way, thank you for saving me." Ayame nodded to her as she smiled. "Thank you for helping us. I hope you have good luck." Then, Auxia nodded back before she took off with a bag of Scaultrite. Then, Keith spoke to Hunk. "We're coming out." "On my way." Then, the Yellow Lion made a break to the gills for pick up.

* * *

Later, the Yellow Lion has taken off from the weblum with Keith, Ayame, and Sandra in tow. "Where's Auxia?" Keith and Ayame spoke to Hunk as she looked out forward. "She's long gone by now, and she got a bag of Scaultrite." "What? Should we go after her?" "No. Don't worry. She had her own mission to do. We just happened to be in the neighborhood." "And besides, whatever the Galra are planning wont matter after we defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius." "Copy that." Then, Keith spoke to Hunk about how he came through. "By the way, Hunk, you really came through in the clutch back there. Without you, the mission would have been a failure." "Aw, thanks, Galra Keith. You're all right. I think turning Galra has made you a better human." Then, Ayame pointed out the truth, as well as Keith's leadership skills. "Actually, he was born Galra to begin with, so he didn't just turn Galra. And if you ask me... I'd say owning who he is has made him a better leader. Takashi would be so proud of you." "Thanks, Ayame." Then, Hunk made another quip. "Wow. Looks like Ayame turned Galra, too. I'm not talking about Xaira by the way." Then, Ayame and Keith snapped at Hunk at the same time. "We didn't just turn Galra!" Sandra sighed as she smiled at this. "And you guys thought I have anger management issues." "Quiet, Sandy!"


	23. Escape from Beta Traz

**Chapter 22:** Escape from Beta Traz

At the Blue Lion, the team was on course for Beta Traz as Lance made sure the route was still in front of him. When they got in range, he spoke to the team. "All right, guys, we're ready to fire." Pidge felt the need to remind him of the importance of a well-timed shot. "Be careful, you've only got one shot." "Don't worry, Pidge, I'm an excellent shot." Pidge didn't have any faith in that. "You are?" "Yes! That's my thing!" "Since when?" Pidge's shouts caused Belle and Jenny to cover their ears while Shiro grimaced. "Geez, Pidge. Keep it down." Lance didn't want to be stuck on this conversation and just wanted to get down to business. "Just get ready." Then, the Blue Lion shot out Shiro, Belle, Jenny, and Pidge before they got close enough. When they did, they fired ziplines from their gauntlets and used them to pull themselves closer to the ring. However, before they could land, Pidge's zipline broke off a plating, causing her to be hurtled, only for Belle to catch her line and pull her in. "Nice catch." "Thanks."

* * *

Later, they hid in the walls for cover as Pidge felt it was unnecessarily large despite its usefulness. "This seems like an awfully large place to hold only one prisoner." Jenny had a theory while Shiro didn't seem to care about that over the mission itself. "Maybe he's a psycho?" "Let's hope this Slav guy is as good as the Blade of Marmora said he is." Then, when the drones weren't around, Pidge and the others got to the door before she scanned it and made it ready for Shiro to place his arm there and open the gate before they got in. Next, Pidge scanned the system panel and got onto the security drones. "Beginning phase two of the plan. I'm blocking the sensors. Lance, you've got only four doboshes to scan the base and land your lion before they're back online." "Copy that."

* * *

Outside, the drones shut down before Lance did a scan check. "Initializing sonic scan now." Lance grunted as he thrusted the levers, making the Blue Lion roar before it summoned a sound wave generator and fired sound waves toward the prison. Then, scan had been completed shortly. "Sonic scan complete. Uploading the data." In the prison, Pidge received the data Lance sent. "Perfect. We're right on top of your entry point. Get to my location. Hurry, you've got 60 ticks." "On my way." Then, the Blue Lion got to the prison and entered it just before the door closed and the drones came back online. Shiro relayed the mission status to the group. "Okay, phase two complete. Welcome to Beta Traz." Then, Jenny thought about how familiar it was. "Beta Traz? Oh! Like Alcatraz! But, wait. Shouldn't they have called it 'Alpha Traz'?"

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, Zarkon was still as intent as ever to seek out the Black Lion. "More! Give me more!" However, the ritual was halted as he shouted and fell to the floor. "Why have you stopped?" "My lord, Haggar ordered us to limit your—" Before he could finish, the Druid was viciously attacked by Zarkon's Black bayard. "Remember who your master is. Now, give me more!" Then, the Druids has no choice but to comply with Zarkon's demand and continued.

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, Varek reappeared with a smirk on his face just as Kaecilius and Omegus noticed him, the latter not pleased with it. "Why do you smirk upon me, mortal?" "Master Omegus, I've grand news. The spy is working for the Blade of Marmora on the inside. It is none other than Commander Thace himself." Omegus felt he didn't need to be reminded. "Yes. I know. Just because I am trapped in this accursed realm doesn't mean my vision is out of reach." Varek got surprised about the fact that he'd seen everything, but then recovered his pride. "Then you must know of my grand scheme put a halt to their plans." "That I see as well. But we shall condone their plans for now if I am to be revived." Varek growled that his idea wasn't being given the decency to at least be heard before Kaecilius spoke to him. "However... if you have a better idea of which to propose, then let's hear it."

* * *

At Beta Traz, Pidge got everyone's attention as she showed a map to them like a holographic compass. "I've compiled the data from the Blue Lion's sonic scan and created this map. It appears the prison is comprised of three concentric levels. Each level is showing different types of security." Then, Pidge spotted three blue triangles. One on the left, one on the right, and one on the top. "That's weird. The Blade of Marmora said this prison was made just for Slav, but in showing three cells. Who else would be here?" Lance and Jenny gave out their ideas. "I'm guessing a space ninja. Or maybe someone with magical powers? You know, just spit-balling here. I don't know. Let's just keep tossing out ideas." "I'm telling you, guys. There's a psycho freak inside this prison. I just know it." Belle felt she was getting jittery and tried to calm her down. "Just calm down, Jenny. This isn't Alcatraz." "What are you talking about? I am calm. Right?" "Can you get a visual on the cells?" Pidge tried to look, but failed. "No, not from here. And even if I could, we don't know what Slav looks like." "Then we're just going to have to check both." Then, Lance called out divs on a cell. "Dibs on the closer one!" Jenny just glared at Lance for his behavior. "Really?" "What? My legs are tired." "From sitting in the Blue Lion all day? Hardly." That sting Lance where it hurt him. "Wow, Jenny. That's cold." "Whatever. It's not like you really care about what I wanted anyway." Pidge sighed at their lovers' quarrel before she spoke. "I'll go to the command center to try and access the security system." Shiro spoke up next to point out the groups. "Okay. Lance, you and Jenny will go to the closest cell. Belle will check on the right cell and I'll take the middle one. Let's get moving."

* * *

In one of the cells, the warden held a remote device and twisted the knob, forcing a machine to send electricity towards a prisoner as he screamed, relishing the data he'd received in the process. "Already, your mind is rendering me weapons and genetic modifications. It must be eating you up. Your brain turned against you and those who would oppose Zarkon. As he continued, he heard roaring all throughout the halls, alerting him to another prisoner with a worried look. "That's enough for one day. You're not the only one that needs my special attention." The warden then shut off the machine before taking a chip out of the helmet as the prisoner sighed. "With your mind, and your roommate's brawn, the Galra Empire will be unstoppable."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge has snuck into the command center through the air vent before hovering down and getting access to the main deck as the others waited for Pidge's cue. "I'm in." Shiro spoke to Pidge following this. "Guide us through." Pidge took a look at each different level. "It looks like the top level is patrolled by the sentries. The second level is patrolled by floating drones." Then, Pidge found a detail added into it. "Oh, wow, that's interesting." Lance thought it was good news. "Good interesting?" "The second level also has immobilizing foam." "Oh, so bad interesting." "And the third level?" "Closed system. I can't get in from here." Belle didn't think it made any sense. "You can't get in from the command center?" "No single location can access the entire prison. It's a security measure. When you reach that level, you'll have to link me in." "We're on our way down." Then, the group took off as Pidge got down to her own business looking at files for prisoners thanks to Ulaz's intel and skimmed through it in search of Matt. "Okay. While you do that... I'll find you, Matt."

* * *

Meanwhile, the group found a sentry standing guard as Jenny forged her bayard into a chain blade while Lance was open to suggestions. "How are we going to get by this guy?" As an answer, Jenny launched it at the drone, hitting him dead center before it collapsed and she pulled it back. Lance was dumbfounded by how quick it was. "Good teamwork on that one." Jenny just rolled her eyes at Lance's comment before they made it to the second level, only to be met with a drone. "Uh-oh, we're spotted." Just as Belle forged her energy sword from her prosthetic arm, Pidge spoke up. "No, no, no, that's mine! He's going to be your escort through this hallway. He'll scramble the monitors." Then, the drone did just that by shining a green light on it before Pidge spoke to them again. "Shiro, Belle, you go left. Lance, Jenny, you go right." "Affirmative." Then, the group took off before Belle saw a nearby cell and went to it as Shiro continued on and stopped at the middle and the others sounded off simultaneously. "We're here." "Okay, open the panel next to you. Connect your gauntlets so I can hack in." Then, Shiro, Belle, and Lance scanned blue light from their gauntlets to help Pidge access the cells. "Now, I have access to level three. Opening the entrances." Thanks to Pidge, the entrance doors opened before they ran in, only to find another set of doors in the way. Jenny wondered if it was a dead end. "Uh, Pidge, can you open those doors, too?" Then, Pidge noticed another dot behind Shiro. "Hide, Shiro. Someone's coming." Then, Shiro hid behind a structure of it to keep from being seen as the warden walked in and got to the scanner. Once it's scanned his face, the doors opened up to reveal a tall dark silver being in a straight jacket with jagged white eyes and sharp teeth. "Don't play innocent. I know what you did." The creature immediately charged at the warden, only for him to smack it with his robot arm before it growled at him. "Clearly you need more behavior training." The warden walked in before the doors closed. "All right, he's gone into the cell." Then, Jenny piped up. "Uh, hello? Aren't you gonna open them up?" "Uh, I can't from here." Shiro had an idea. "The door scanned his face before they opened for him." "Oh, facial recognition. Guys, hold tight. Shiro, you're gonna need to get a scan of his face." "Copy that." Just then, Pidge saw a camera footage of the creature in the straightjacket roaring as it got electrocuted by the same machine in the previous cell he'd went to before he stopped it. "I'll be back soon." Pidge looked on in horror as the creature snarled. As he walked out, the warden was unaware of Shiro pointing his gauntlet at him before he shone a flash on him. Then, the warden turned to find no one there before he sighed. "I got the scan, Pidge." Pidge then produced a render of it into their gauntlets. "Creating 3D render. Sending to you." The Paladins got the render before they held it over the scanners. As Belle walked in she saw a caterpillar-like alien with a beak crawling about. "Are you Slav?" Slav recognized her and got suspicious. "Why, Kren? Are you here to torture me?" Then, Belle spoke back to him. "How'd you know that? Look, I'm not Kren anymore. I'm just Belle. A Paladin of Voltron, by the way. I've come to save you." Slav only thought it made things worse. "Oh, no, even worse. In 98 and 3/100ths of a percent of realities with a prison break, I die! And your chances are even worse!" Belle got surprised to hear this before she spoke up. "What do you mean?"

* * *

Next, Shiro opened the door to find a creature in a straight jacket and surrounded by blue electricity in a cage who snarled at him in a dark and deep voice. "Who are you?" Shiro got his arm ready to strike in defense, being cautious of the creature's potential brutality. "I'm a Paladin of Voltron. Are you Slav?" The creature hissed his name as it laughed. "Sssslav? That coward? Not even clossssssse." Then, the creature tried to walk towards him only to be zapped by the electricity from the machine that was trapping him. Shiro then put his arm down as he knew the cage would keep him from breaking out. "Okay, so you're not Slav. Then, who are you?" "Who am I? I am known by many namessss. I am the incarnation of what the Galra Empire has done to the universsse. I am the poison that will end it... Siox!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance snuck into the cell while Jenny just walked up normally and found a big fluffy creature eating a drone's leg before it stood up, making Jenny worried. "Oh, please don't be a psycho...!" "Are you Slav?" Then, the creature walked toward Lance and Jenny before it answered. "Yup." "Don't worry, Slav. We're here to rescue you." "We're with Voltron. Do you know Voltron?" "Yup." "Great. Then you know what the Blue Lion is." "Yup." Jenny turned to Lance and gave him a stink eye. "Not everything's about you, you know." Then, Lance and Belle spoke intermittently. "Pidge, I've got Slav." Pidge got confused about who got Slav. "What?" "I said I have Slav, Lance." "No, I have Slav. Wait, hold on. Tell me the truth. Are you Slav?" "Yup." Pidge was getting annoyed with the confusion before she just got back to business. "We don't have time for this. You're just gonna have to bring both of them back." Then, she heard a door open before she swiped the info away and ducked under the desk. Then, Belle and Lance tried to speak to Pidge. "Okay. Give us the route out of here." "Yeah, we're ready to go, too." "Yup." Pidge couldn't answer immediately as she tried to stay hidden, much to Lance's annoyance and Belle's concern. "Hello?" "Pidge!" As she stayed hidden, the warden placed the file onto the desk, causing information to pop up as she sat underneath it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Belle spoke to Jenny and Lance. "Guys, looks like we're on our own. We've got to get back to Pidge." Then, Lance and Jenny got their bayards ready before they realized Shiro hadn't spoken up. "You got that, Shiro?" "We have to go back to Pidge." Shiro got the message and spoke to them next. "Not yet. First, I have to find out what Siox knows." "Siox? Who's that? It sounds like a psycho." "He's another prisoner here. I'm trying to see what he knows." "Okay, but if he's creepy, I'm not bringing him with us." Then, Jenny realized they'd no idea where to go. "Come to think if it, I don't know if I could bring the guy anywhere. I have no idea where we're going." Lance had an idea. "Slav, do you know how to get back?" "Yup." "What am I talking about? Of course, you do. You're a genius."

* * *

Meanwhile, Belle was speaking to the alien. "We have to get going, Slav." "No thanks." Then, she thought about how panicked Jenny was about her fear of the dark when they were kids, muttering about it before she took a deep breath. "I swear you're just like Jenny when we were little. Look, the only way out is through here. We're finally going to stop Zarkon. We have the Olkari and the Blade of Marmora on our side. Without you, we can't do it." The alien seemed confused as he made a motion with his hand that told her he had no clue. "Look, we can leave in the Blue Lion in no time, but we have to go." The alien grew relieved to hear this. "Oh, the Blue Lion. Why didn't you say so? Blue light has a frequency between 606 to 608 terahertz." "So, you're saying it can jam their scanners?" "No, that's just my lucky range of terahertz." Then, Belle realized who she was dealing with. "Oh great. I'm rescuing a superstitious alien." "Let's go!" Then, the alien stopped to shift the blanket. "Okay, uh, more to the left. Mm... This needs to be right. Um... Oh, but not too right." "What are you doing? Did you forget something?" "No. Just making a paradox." Belle decided to eat it out patiently. "This is gonna be a long day."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro spoke with Siox. "From the looks of you, I'd say you must've done... unspeakable things to the Galra Empire." "Of coursssse. I haven't done anything they'd never do themselvessss. Well, except maybe eat a head or two off..." "From the drones?" "No." Then, Shiro began to think it was a mistake to come here, and thought about how dangerous he truly was. "Why are you telling me this?" "So that you know when I get free, I'll come after you and everyone you love for ever speaking to me." Shiro was now beginning to think Jenny was right about it holding a psycho. "Okay, if you're not going to cooperate, I'm just gonna leave." The creature seemed not to care anyhow. "Your loss." As Shiro left, Siox smirked before a glob of black ooze clutched onto the remote and turned the knob to the left before it shut down the machinery and went toward his straightjacket and untying it before he laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile, a drone came through the door and spoke to the warden. "Sir, Laika and Siox have escaped." The warden knew how dangerous Siox was and didn't want to take any risks. "Oh, no!" Then, he proceeded to walk out of the door before he spoke to the drone again. "Guard this station." Meanwhile, Pidge wanted for the right moment. "Come on, get outta here."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance and Jenny walked with their rescue, still aimless on where to go. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" "Because Lance might be off the mark on your genius-ing." "Yup." Then, a drone suddenly popped up in front of them before he lunged at a drone and gobbled it in his mouth. "Whoa! You're really savage!" "No wonder the blades think you're cool." "Yup."

* * *

Meanwhile, the alien had made a symmetry of the blanket's position forming a mountain. "Perfect!" "For what?" "Now, there's a two percent chance this mission won't result in a horrific, deadly fireball. Let's leave!" However, when they got out, the alien stopped Belle as he made a short scream. "Let's go back!" "What is it this time?" "It's that!" The alien pointed to a puddle of water in front of them. "So, are you allergic or something?" "It's not that! There's a 12 percent chance I could slip. There are even realities in which I drown because, in those realities, I never learned to swim!" "What about this reality? Did you learn to swim in this one at least?" "I can't remember! There are infinite possibilities!" Belle gripped the alien before she set him down while speaking calmly. "Look. Just settle down, now." Then, he proceeded with his ramblings. "I-I can already feel myself not being able to breathe. My lungs are filling with water." Then, Belle figured there's something going on with him. "That guy must've made you lose your nerves. But, it's okay. We can just go around the puddle." "No chance. There's a 15 percent chance you'll find a secret entrance and end up ejected to space." "In what direction is that entrance?" Then, the alien knew what she meant by that. "Oh, just on the right." "Then, I guess I'll go left."

* * *

Meanwhile, the warden noticed Siox's cell was empty with grave concern. "How did you escape? I'll find you, monster. And my pet."

* * *

As the warden began his search, Lance was talking with the fluffy creature as Jenny stood ahead of them, looking over the corners. "Pidge is the hacker of our group. Shiro's our awesome leader." "Yup." "Hunk's our mechanic. He's also a chef and just a pretty cool dude to hang out with." "Yup." "And Keith and Sandy are always doing things like flying into asteroid fields and black holes and cool junk like that. Jenny and Ayame are the mages who are really helping us out. They always put us first before themselves." "Yup." Then, he thought back on what he'd said about Jenny before realizing what he should've done to begin with and felt bad he hadn't done it with her, unaware that she was listening, too. "I'm pathetic. I used to make fun of people who would get their hearts broken. Heck, I was the one breaking hearts!" "Yup." "You don't have to agree with me so quickly. I guess I never knew what it meant to like someone the way I like Jenny. Jenny's not like any other girl I've ever met before. Probably because she's an alien, but still. She's smart, courageous, and makes me want to be a better person. That is so weird to say." "Yup." "And I can't tell her how I feel now. She wouldn't take me seriously anyway. I don't have anything to offer. I'm just a boy from Cuba who didn't keep his promise to her." "Yup." Having heard this, Jenny sighed in solemn reverence, reflecting on how tough she treated him after he failed to bring a ring from the space mall. "Lance..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Belle carried the alien as she ran. "You're so strong. Must be that robot arm. But doesn't it bother you that you only have one?" "The only thing that bothers me is the fact that I have one at all." Then, the alien got scared before he jumped off of her as he screamed. "What now?" "Look at all those cracks! I can't step on those." "You do know I was carrying you, right?" "Oh, I guess no one cares about their mothers' backs anymore!" "Wait a tick, you know that nursery rhyme?" "Nursery rhyme? I'm talking about quantum realities here. Cracks initiate space-time temporal fissures, which mathematically make higher probabilities for alternate realities in which your mother has a broken back." Belle blinked her eyes in surprise. "Huh. Didn't think about it like that. Is there a different route we can take?" "Well, sure, we could go out the scree duct, but, you know, it's all full of scree. Ugh! There's the vlaxenator, but you can hear the water dripping in there." Belle knew where this was going. "And you're afraid of drowning." "Now, you're getting it!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Siox was crawling on the ceiling as he growled. Then, he stopped to find a door leading to central command as his eyes shrunk before he continued onward. Inside the command center, Pidge was receiving a message from Belle. "Pidge, are you there? We need an alternate route. Pidge?" As she got the message, Pidge shocked the drone before it collapsed to the ground. "Okay, sorry about that. I'm back. I'll find you a new route, Belle." Then, Lance asked next. "Yeah, can you tell us where we are?" "Just a sec. pulling it up now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Belle and Slav were still stuck as he was afraid to go anywhere near the cracks. Then, Belle remembered what he was talking about concerning realities. "I get it. You don't know what's gonna happen next. My sister Jenny went through the same thing. When we were little, she was so scared of the dark, she didn't want to be anywhere near or inside it. But one day, we went into a cave, all of us together. Me, her, our parents, even our Grandpop, Smythe. When she was scared, he held her hand the entire time, telling her that one day, she'll be ready to face the unknown." Strangely drawn to the story, he inquired about her sister's fate. "And how did that work out?" "Well, she did. And the next thing she knew, she's in outer space, found her lost friends, and even piloted the Blue Lion for a while. All because she was willing to step into the unknown. It's high time you do the same, too." Slav became inspired by her speech enough to at least toughen up, as a result. "Alright. Let's do this." Then, he took a look at the cracks again before backing up. "Nope. Not doing it this way." Belle grunted exaggeratedly from this.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge couldn't find any other way to get out. "Uh, I don't see any other route, Belle." Then, a rapid beeping came from the computer as she noticed a black dot and an orange one both headed toward Lance and Jenny. "Lance, Jenny, look out!"

* * *

Having heard the message, Lance and Jenny responded by leaning against the wall. "Quick, somebody's coming." However, the creature didn't budge. "What are you doing?" "Are you trying to get us caught?" "Yup." "Wow. Some genius you are." Then, the warden walked in the hall to notice the creature. "I've found you." Then, he heard a dark voice speaking to him. "So have I." The warden turned to the ceiling too late to see Siox lunging at him and gripping him. He initially tried to attack with his robot arms, only for Siox to rip them apart being elongating his tongue out of his mouth and licking him before opening his mouth wide. However, before he could clamp down, he saw a shadow far away before chucking the warden away before creeping closer. Jenny was getting visibly scared as he crept near her. Then, in an instant, he clutched her by her waist and growled at her as she got frightened. "Please don't eat me..." Then, Lance retaliated by shouting at its back, unfortunately having no other effect but slight agitation. "Stay away from my friend!" Then, Siox just tossed Jenny to Lance like a stick before the warden noticed them as well. "There's your kidnapper. Put the prison on lockdown!" Then, the alarm went off around the halls before the creature took off ahead of Jenny and Lance before he shot out at Siox to no avail. Then, as Siox leaped toward Jenny, Lance tripped her before catching her while Siox missed. Then, he held her up and the two immediately hoofed it with the creature before the guns went online in the ceiling and shot out foam. While the creature evaded it with ease, Jenny and Lance used their shields to block out the foam. "Pidge, you've gotta shut off this foam for us! I don't think Jenny would like it in her hair!" "No, I don't!" "On it!" As Pidge was about to do so, she found a match and saw a video file of a cell exploding before it showed Matt being saved by a masked freedom fighter. "Matt?" Lance shouted to her again. "Pidge!" Pidge yelped as she was brought back to reality. "Sorry! Just reversing the targeting system, and..." Then, Pidge switches the targeting to the warden and Siox. "This ought to slow him down." In the halls, Siox and the warden were about to catch the Paladins before the foam got shot at them and trapping them. "What? No!" In the command center, Pidge made a quip before she nudged the drone's head. "Stick around. Huh? Huh?" Just then, three more drones emerged inside the room, causing Pidge to widen her eyes. "Uh-oh."

* * *

At the hall, Jenny and Lance took off with the creature away from the warden and Siox. "Come back here!" As they fled, the warden was left with no choice but to communicate to his drones. "Find out where they're headed! Lock down all exits!" Having heard this, Siox growled before launching his hand to the ceiling and easily slipped through the foam and chuckled as he crawled on the ceiling, bewildering the warden.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro had found Belle speaking to the alien. "Look, what else can we do to get across?" Slav wasn't afraid to answer. "Why don't we just turn the gravity off and float over them instead? Honestly, that's our best shot at getting out of here in one piece. I ran the numbers." "Well, why didn't you tell me before?" "I would have told you earlier if you'd asked." Belle growled at him as the alien was confused with her before Shiro spoke up. "Belle?" Then, she turned to see Shiro and grew relieved. "Oh, thank goodness you're here, Shiro. I was starting to lose my mind." "Pidge, any chance you can turn the gravity off?"

* * *

At the command center, Pidge heard this before she felt it was a good option. "Oh, that's a great idea! Then the sentries won't be able to maneuver, but we have our jet packs. It's genius!" Then, the gravity shut down before Belle picked up the alienand he cooked around her like a ferret before they floated over the panels. As they traveled down, however, they came across two sentries before Shiro and Belle cut them down to size with their arms, impressing the alien. "Those robot arms are fantastic! Now, imagine if each of you had two. Our chances of survival would go up 600 percent from from totally doomed to highly unlikely." "Does he always talk like that, Belle?" "You have no idea." Then, as they got back from their paths, the three of them found Jenny and Lance riding the creature before the alien spoke. "Oh, wow, you have Laika. The warden will not be happy about that." Jenny and Lance grew confused about who Laika was. "Huh?" "Who's Laika?" "She's the warden's pet yupper." "Wait, what?" As Jenny was shocked, Lance gasped at this. "You're an animal?" "And a girl?" "Yup." "And he's Slav?" "Yup." Slav then understood why they confused him for the yupper. "Oh, I see where the confusion was for you." Then, they heard roaring from far away and saw Siox crawling on the ceiling fast. Belle was confused about it as well as horrified. Jenny was twice as much so. "Psycho incoming!" "What the heck is that?!" "That's Siox, the Galra Eater. But don't worry. As long as the gravity is off, there's a 65 percent chance we'll survive."

* * *

However, it wouldn't last long as Pidge was still stuck and was forced to shut it off with a warning. "Gravity's back online in three, two, one." Then, the instant she brought it back online, the sentries fell before the Paladins fell as well before Siox laughed while Slav panicked while putting his hands on the back of his head and lowering it. "This is it! Our chances have gone down 500 percent! We're doomed!" However, Siox only glared at Shiro before going ahead of them. "Huh? What was that about? I know he practically threatened me and my friends, but still..." Then, Pidge spoke up to the others. "I'm headed for the hangar." Then, Slav looked up to see Siox went away. "I... I did it. I faced the unknown!" "Actually, you ducked in the face of the unknown, but it's a start."

* * *

Later, the Paladins, Slav, and Laika encountered Galra sentries before they opened fire and shot at them. However, they got their shields ready before they could get hit. "Get to the lion!" Then, they ran toward the sentries before Slav took action as well by crawling to a sentry while Laika chowed down on one. Then, Slav took a gun from the sentry and shot out at them while Lance did the same. Then, Shiro kicked an oil drum and kicked it on one of the sentries before tossing another to the ground, much to Lance's dismay. "I had him!" "Let's go. Slav!" To her surprise, Belle saw Slav holding the gun on top of one of the sentries. "Be right with you!" Then, the warden appeared from a door before he shouted to him. "Slav!" Then, the warden jumped into the floor before he turned to them. "You steal my yupper and my prisoner?" Then, the warden pushed a button in the belt, causing the Quintessence that lied in the two jars attached to his neck to sink into him before his eyes turned purple and grew bigger as his hands expanded in size before the rest of him did. Pidge arrived just in time to see it. "Okay, I'm ready— What is that?" Meanwhile, Slav wasn't pleased. "Perfect! The warden's used his stockpile of Quintessence! Our chances of surviving this are now 5 percent, tops!" Belle only prepares her energy sword in response. "Then it's time to beat the odds." "You're not going anywhere. And neither is the lion." After his proclamation, the warden darted at the Paladins, knocking them away before smashing his robot arm to the ground. Shiro tried using the wall to get an advantage only to be whacked away by his robot arm to a box before he fell on top of one. "See what I was saying about these robot arms?" Then, Lance shot at the warden from the air, only for the warden to reach him and grip him before landing and holding him up. As the warden began crushing him, Jenny saw this and grew desperate. "Lance, no!" Jenny shot her chain blade at the warden, only for him to catch it and fling her to the boxes. Next, Shiro and Belle charged their arms before they tried to punch him, only for the warden to block them, absorb it, and send them back, knocking them to the floor. Then, Pidge charged at him, only to seemingly be crushed by his robot arm. However, that was proven to be a hologram as she landed on top of the back of his neck to extricate the jars from him. This only angered him before catching Pidge and chucking the two of them at Shiro and Belle. At that instant, the alarm went off as Jenny and Slav hit the button to open the doors. As a result, the Blue Lion got sucked out into space before Laika tried to hold on but failed before being caught by the warden as the Paladins went out next. Then, Jenny and Slav took off before they noticed the warden's giant hand about to catch them before she shoved Slav away. However, that only put her in the position to be caught as she was now stuck in his grip. Belle saw this and grew worried for her. "Jenny!" Then, Lance had an idea to fix that. "Wait, I got this. Come on..." He focused his gun on the arm before he looked to Jenny who nodded to him before he took a deep breath and fired. The resulting shot hit him in the robot arm, causing it to malfunction and release Jenny as she flung out into space and into Lance's arms. Belle grew relieved while Shiro spoke to him. "Thank goodness." "Nice, Lance! That's why we bring our sharpshooter." "Yup." Then, Jenny looked up to him. "You... saved my life." "I owed you one." Then, as the two floated back in the Blue Lion, Jenny grew curious about another prisoner. "What about Siox?" "He's that guy's problem now."

* * *

Inside Beta Traz, the warden only turned to Laika. "At least you're okay. That's a good girl. Yes, you are. Who's a good little yupper? Who's the good little yupper?" However, he heard roaring from far away before he held up Laika and ran with her. "We need to get out of here!"

* * *

In the Blue Lion, Jenny felt bad about the fact that she held a grudge against him. "Hey, Lance? I'm sorry for holding that grudge against you. I should've known how you tend to be; you told me you would be. It wasn't fair for me to treat you raw just for that." "No, Jenny. I'm sorry. I've had every possible way to keep that promise to you, but I chose not to. Some boyfriend I am." Then, Jenny reminded Lance of something. "Actually, about that, you technically didn't." "What?" "The promise didn't have a deadline. I never said how long you could do that ring business for." Then, Lance smiled at her. "Jenny, don't ever change." "I should tell you the same thing." Belle smiled at how they made up as they hugged before Pidge spoke to her and Shiro. "The information I found on my brother says he was taken by a group of rebels. He's still out there." "Matt's a lot like you. He's a survivor." Belle agreed with Shiro as she placed her hand on Pidge's shoulder. "We'll find him soon. Count on it." Pidge smiled at them before Slav joined in and looked at her before she groaned. Then, Belle spoke to him about a certain topic. "Did you hav any friends from the Blade of Marmora in this reality?" "Oh, yes! They're a lot like you even. They defy the odds all the time. 100 percent. You remind me of one of them. Adea. She was so patient with me and is actually a good listener." "Well, I hope we get to meet her soon." "In which reality?" Then, Belle groaned next.

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, he was attempting to seek out the Black Lion only for a Druid to fall to the floor as he got tired from exerting his own Quintessence before Haggar spoke to him. "Sire, I believe there's a spy in our ranks. Though we can't say for certain he's with Kaecilius. Our communications may be compromised." "None of that matters. Once the Black Lion is recaptured, no one, not even Kaecilius nor Omegus, will stand against me. Have you made any further progress with the armor?" "None of the tests have been successful. Each time, the subject was killed." "I need it ready. If your beats will not defeat Voltron for me, I will do it myself."

 **A/N: There we go. Now, for Siox, his voice actor is Keith Szarabajka, the similar voice actor for Venom in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. In the next chapter, the Blade of Marmora will deal with the same kind of problem the Galra Empire is having. As such, my title for this next episode will be "Spy for a Spy." That is all I can reveal for now. Until then, enjoy. :)**


	24. Spy for a Spy

**A/N: There we are! Lapis's special episode. Before we begin, there are special characters in this episode. Some of you may know most of the voice actors. It will go in alphabetical order. Adea will be voiced by Lindsay Jones (her voice will be similar to volumes 2-4), Atchiam will be voiced by Barbara Dunkelman, Krul will be voiced by Willem DaFoe, Luzria will be voiced by Kara Eberle, Pruknak will be voiced by Patrick Warburton, Sneren will be voiced by Mark Oliver, Vantiv will be portrayed by Jessica Nigri, Vezek will be voiced by Matthew Mercer, and Vrathrea will be voiced by Anna Hullum. Some of you may even have complaints about this chapter, but it's really hard coming up with an entirely new chapter, so please bear with me and enjoy.**

 **Chapter 23:** Spy for a Spy

At Kaecilius' cruiser, he and Omegus were told by Varek about his plan. He intended to expose not only Thace, but the entirety of the Blade of Marmora with a spy of his own. And upon doing so, their plan would be revealed as well. It wasn't according to their design, but, at least, they acknowledged it. Kaecilius was intrigued by his proposal. "A spy to infiltrate their headquarters, you say?" "Yes. They won't suspect one of them to be a traitor until it's too late." However, Omegus reminded Varek of his omniscience once again. "It is already done. They've begun to be aware of the traitor's presence. But it won't matter at the end. Whether this spy fails or not, I _will_ rise again." Varek, then came up with a different plan. "While you do that, I have a promise to keep."

* * *

In the Violet Lion, Lapis was transporting Krolia, Kolivan, Antok, Azix, Ulaz, Caxas, and Jareth to the Blade of Marmora headquarters. As they got closer to the two black holes and solar flare barrier, they noticed it was closed. Lapis thought it best to be patient. "Well, looks like we might have to wait a little while." Kolivan thought differently from patience. "Not necessarily." Kolivan went to his wrist communicator before speaking into it. "Pruknak, activate the solar generator." A smooth and cool voice responded back to Kolivan in the process. "Solar generator activated, sir." Inside the solar flare, a part of the base opened up before a blue glow swirled around in the dark area, opening up a path inside. Lapis grew surprised to see that. "You have a solar generator?!" "There's a lot you don't know about the Blade of Marmora, Lapis." As they went in, Pruknak spoke again to Kolivan. "Shutting down generator in three, two, one." Then, the glow disappeared before the solar flare circled around again. When they got out, Lapis and company exited the Violet Lion as they saw a guard wearing traditional armor. That same guard noticed the Violet Lion and grew enamored by it. "So this is the Violet Lion of legend. Incredible..." Antok then spoke to the guard. "I'm sure it is, Pruknak. But right now, we have a message to deliver discreetly. The Grand Council must know about this." Pruknak grew shocked that a matter as important as having to summon the Grand Council would come so soon, but nonetheless, obliged to his duty. "Oh. Of course. Right this way." With that, they took the elevator and went down into the main hall as the Blades noticed them and Lapis walking into another elevator. As they walked, Kolivan spoke to Caxas and Jareth. "Caxas, I need you and Jareth to guard the elevator until our meeting with the council is over." The two nodded before they went on the left and right sides of the elevator as the first female Blade, who had short raven hair with silver eyes, spoke to her friends, one of which had a silver streak of hair amongst her purple hair in a ponytail and light blue irises while the other had long shaggy purple hair and pink irises. "You guys saw her, right?" "Yeah, Adea. It's actually, Lapis." "It's official, Atchiam. You definitely owe me 500 GAC." "Oh, real mature, Luzria." As they argued, Adea couldn't help but wonder why Lapis was summoned here. "Something's going on here, guys. For sure." Adea was on the right mark as a dark figure with purple eyes lurked in the shadows before vanishing, catching the notice of Adea who looked back to see the corner of the shadows and found nothing there before she grew suspicious.

* * *

In the main hall, Pruknak asked Kolivan before the council consisting of a doppelganger of Sendak, only sans robot eye, a woman with long and shaggy Raven hair and red irises, and another Galra with a scar over his left eye for the report. "What's the situation, sir?" "We've recently found out a spy could be in our midst as well." The female grew shocked to hear this. "A spy? In the Blade of Marmora? Didn't we take care of Xarnas already?" "I assure you, Vrathrea, this time, it has nothing to do with Xarnas. This spy could be sent from... Omegus himself." The council immediately gasped at this before the Sendak doppelganger rebuffed this theory. "Inconceivable. The Blade of Marmora has maintained its secrecy for 10,000 years. What makes you think a spy could've been planted in our organization?" Lapis spoke up with permission. "Uh, permission to speak, sir?" "Granted." "We recently obtained this knowledge from Ayame, a fellow Paladin of mine." The doppelganger grew skeptical of the name. "A word of a Voltron Paladin isn't nearly good enough." "She's not just a Paladin. She also goes by Xaira." That had the entire council gasping in utter shock as Vrathrea and the scarred Galra stated their disbelief. "Zarkon's daughter?!" "But how?" "I was as shocked as you guys when I found out, but she's on our side." The scarred Galra wasn't anywhere close to convinced. "And how can you be certain of this? How do you know she won't turn against us?" Vrathrea turned to him in disapproval. "Krul, please." "Because she's my friend. She'd never do that to us." "Can't you see she's playing you for fools?" Vrathrea placed her hand on his shoulder to calm his temper. "Sneren, enough. Lapis has proven herself worthy to be a fellow Blade, and the daughter of Zaltron. She wouldn't rely on her if she knew she was the enemy." Pruknak spoke up in defense next. "She's right. Kolivan told us of her time with the Paladins. Are you telling us you don't even believe your pupil?" Sneren only grunted in exasperation before turning to Lapis. "Very well. But how are you supposed to find the spy in question?" Kolivan turned to her before she answered to the council. "We'll have to gather evidence and figure out how long he's been among us." Sneren felt that by the time they've done it, 10,000 more years would've gone by. "But where can we even begin to search?" At this moment, Lapis had an idea come up. "You said it's maintained its secrecy for 10,000 years. For all we know, the spy could've been here for that long, too." Sneren grew doubtful of this. "If there was a spy in the Blade of Marmora for 10,000 years, we'd have known by now." Vrathrea glared at him again to remind him of Lapis' status. "But... if you believe you can locate him, I won't stand in your way. All those in favor of allowing a 24-hour search for the spy, say 'aye.'" As a response, Vrathrea, Krul, Kolivan, Azix, Krolia, Pruknak, and Lapis raised their hands while saying, "Aye". Then, Sneren sighed in defeat before he spoke. "It appears the motion is carried. Starting now, you have 24 hours to seek out this spy and apprehend him before the plan can be executed. Meeting adjourned." Lapis then bowed down to them in respect. "Thank you, your honor. I promise you won't regret it." "On one condition. You must realize that Nepotism will not save you." Lapis grew shocked that he'd think she's using nepotism to win them over. "What do you mean?" "You may be a daughter to Zaltron and a Voltron Paladin outside the Blade of Marmora, but you're in our territory, now. So, you will be treated like all the other students here." That caught Lapis' attention as her ears pricked up. "Wait, students? So, it's a school, now?" Kolivan explained further to Lapis. "How do you think we've taught the Blades the art of espionage and secrecy?" "Why can't we just tell them and do a search?" Sneren only sighed in disbelief at her candid ignorance before explaining. "Because, it would only cause distractions from the plan when it's not proven yet. Honestly, if this is supposed to be what represents a Paladin, I'm not impressed." Vrathrea didn't find it helpful and snapped at him. "Sneren!" Lapis was unfazed by his comment, however, and took that lesson to heart. "My apologies, sir. I still have a lot to learn." "Apparently. But if you're as worthy as your father believes you to be, then I don't think we'll have any problems." Then, he turned his eyes to Krolia before calling her out. "Krolia." "Yes, sir?" "You will be taking Lapis under your study." "Of course." Then, Lapis had trouble seeing how it's supposed to help her case as she turned to Sneren. "With all due respect, sir, I don't see how being placed in a class with a bunch of kids is going to help us find him." "Like I said, if Voltron can be piloted by amateurs, I highly doubt you'd have any trouble finding the spy." Lapis blinked her eyes in confusion, trying to figure out what it meant. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Krolia only took Lapis to the elevator and went down with her, Kolivan, Antok, Ulaz, and Azix. "Come on, Lapis. It's almost time to start, anyhow." As they went down, Vrathrea turned to Sneren. "How can you be so cold, Sneren? She's trying to help." "The last time anyone tried to help, our luxite was stolen and given to Zarkon's daughter." "She's nothing like Xarnas." Sneren took another look at her as she walked with her group. "I hope not."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lapis was walking with Krolia and the others before they went their separate ways. Kolivan was to re-examine the Blades' tests, Azix would be given a tour by Antok and Ulaz, and Caxas and Jareth will be doing a perimeter check around the quadrant. As they went about with their duties, Lapis looked to Krolia in confusion. "Why is Councilman Sneren so... drill sergeant-like?" "It's not his fault. After Xarnas betrayed us by giving Ayame the luxite blade as a gift... he wasn't the same." Then, Krolia and Lapis heard Luzria's voice. "There you are, teach! You never told us you'd be bringing Lapis into our class!" Lapis blinked her eyes at her words. "You know about me?" Then, Krolia spoke to her. "Allow me to introduce your classmates." She pointed to Adea first. "This is Adea." At her cue, she took Lapis' hand and shook it rapidly. "It's so great to meet you, Lapis!" After the rapid shaking, Lapis' hand started throbbing, but despite that, she tried to greet her back as gently as she could. "It's... great to meet you, too." Krolia continued on with the introductions to allow her hand to recover. "This one is Luzria." Luzria just looked at her strangely as Lapis tried to greet her. "Uh, hello. It's an honor for me to meet you." Luzria smiled and made a proud scoff before reluctantly shaking her other hand. "I'm sure it is." Krolia then went on to Atchiam. "And this one is Atchiam." Atchiam held her first out to Lapis, who stared at it in confusion. "Well? Don't leave me hangin'." Then, Lapis remembered what it meant before she got her fist out. "Oh. Right." Then, she and Atchiam bumped their fists against each other before Krolia spoke up. "Now, she's going to be in our class today, so I expect you to treat her right and get along." The three students immediately nodded to her. "Yes, ma'am." "Good. Then let's get to class. Remember, in alphabetical order." As Krolia walked first, Adea and Atchiam walked ahead of Lapis while Luzria walked behind her as she whispered. "Welcome to school." Lapis smiled at her words as she walked along.

* * *

At Zarkon's Command Center, Haggar was in her chambers when two Druids came to her. "Haggar." "What is it?" "We found further evidence of the spy within our fleet. This encrypted chip was in the outbound entanglement quantum chain." Haggar had an idea had to remedy this. "Put the chip back, and wait to see who retrieves it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Luzria, Adea, Atchiam, and Lapis stood in the training hall with Krolia as their instructor. She walked by the students, making sure they paid attention. "Now, there are certain rules one must abide by in order to avoid suspicion in espionage. Number one, for example, is to blend in with the other Galra soldiers. Even if it means resorting to unspeakable acts you wouldn't otherwise do. For example..." Krolia suddenly tripped Lapis, surprising the rest of the students before Luzria giggled as she complained. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" "Underhanded tactics. And another thing, keep your distance from other members until the situation calls for it. If they even begin to suspect that you're working against them, everything we've worked for will be all for nothing." Then, Krolia held her hand out to Lapis before she took it and got pulled up. "Which brings us to lesson number two."

* * *

Next, Krolia and her class were in the databanks. "You must not only be sufficient in combat, but also in data encryption. This is necessary to send a report to the Blade of Marmora on the inside and retrieve their next objective. Now, I'd like a volunteer to step up and demonstrate this." Luzria practically got giddy and raised her hand while jumping up and down. "Oh! I want to try!" Then, Krolia cleared her throat, urging Luzria to change her behavior before she tried again. "I'd like to volunteer for the job, Ms. Krolia." Then, Luzria sat down at a computer before she was handed an encryption chip by Krolia before she installed it in and typed up a report and sent it to Krolia, who'd picked up the message via gauntlet before opening up a screen and sent one to Luzria before she received it and smiled. "Got the message, ma'am." As the smiling Luzria walked up to her classmates, Krolia cleared her throat before pointing to a certain chip. "Aren't you forgetting something, Luzria?" At this, Luzria held her head down. "Oops. Sorry." "Sorry isn't going to cut it if you're trying not to get caught. Remember what I told you. If any detail changes, even a small chip's presence will ultimately lead to your capture, one way or another."

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, a soldier exited a room before Thace looked around and went in. He then removed the chip before placing it under his thumb, just as he heard a deep male voice. "So... you're a Blade of Marmora." Thace turned behind him to see a Galran figure in a black cloak with purple eyes glowing in the silhouette. "Vezek? What are you doing here?" "It's nothing personal. I was hired to retrieve you." "By who?" "I cannot tell you my client." Thace grew suspicious. He's just as mysterious to him as the Blade of Marmora is to the Galra Empire. And even if he does know about them and they don't, they never had this procedure. "And how am I supposed to trust you?" "You don't have to. But every job I take, I finish. Or would you rather deal with them?" "I'll take my chances." As if on cue, a Druid appeared and shot him with his magic towards a wall as he walked toward him. "Commander Thace, did you find what you were looking for?" Then, Vezek spoke to him. "Not so fast." As his eyes flared, he punched a purple lightning through him, causing him to groan in agony before disappearing and leaving his mask behind. Next, Vezek used superhuman speed to attack the drones and stood in the center before they immediately came apart. Then, Vezek walked toward Thace, who was confused. "Why are you after me?" "I can't let my job go to waste if you're dead. My client specifically wants you alive. However, he didn't specify you needed to be conscious." In an instant, his eyes flared before Thace suddenly fell to the floor and the both of them vanished from sight just as another Druid and Haggar arrived to see a mask and broken drones on the floor. "No!"

* * *

At the Blade of Marmora Headquarters, Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria were in the same dorm room, remembering their lessons from Krolia. Adea was stunted by how intense she was today. "I can't believe how hardcore those lessons were today, guys. She's never this hard on us before." Luzria knew it was only a matter of time. "Well, I can't say I blame her. We've been taking her classes for about four decapheobes now. I guess this is her way of telling us to grow up." Lapis could agree with her, considering how giddy she was before. "Yeah. I believe it." Atchiam became surprised before she ooh'd at Lapis before Luzria grew offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Well, you were a bit giddy before Krolia corrected you to begin with." "Oh, and so what? That makes you better than me?" "What? No. I—" As things started heating up, Adea tried to break up the argument before it could get worse. "Uh, guys? Do you mind breaking it up before you—" Luzria just put Adea's hand away before speaking to her. "No! You really think you're special?! It doesn't matter if your father is a legend. You're just like any other student here!" "I know that! In case you haven't noticed, I didn't exactly come here to make friends, least of all, with you!" "Uh, guys?" Then, Atchiam pulled Adea back. "I'd stay out of this one." "Well, then, why are you even here?!" "I didn't ask to be placed in a stupid class! The only reason I came here is because a spy could be in the Blade of Marmora and I need to find him in 24 hours, or everything we've done for 10,000 years is going to be for nothing! But you're never going to know what that's like, because you're just a couple of kids and you've never been taken in captivity, you've never lost your mother, and you've obviously never known what it's like to be hated your whole life for everything our entire race has done!" That got Luzria and the others shocked as Lapis shed tears before wiping them away. "And you never will. So... just leave me alone." Then, Lapis went outside the dorm room as Adea called out for her. "Wait! Come back!" As she took off, Luzria held her head down, realizing she could relate. Contrary to Lapis' statement, she and her whole family had to deal with the whole universe's hatred of the Galra for 10,000 years since Zarkon annihilated Altea. Even if Lapis had been through worse than that, she had to admit she was a little off base to say they never knew what it was like to be hated their whole lives. Keeping them in mind, Luzria headed out of the dorm in a hurry while turning to Adea and Atchiam. "Hold down the fort until we get back." As Atchiam responded, Adea nodded."Uh, alright." As Luzria ran after Lapis, Adea felt bad for her. "I hope she's okay."

* * *

In a hallway, Lapis just leaned against a wall before an older female Galra with short raven hair and dark yellow irises within her yellow sclera walked by her before stopping. "Oh. You must be Lapis." Lapis only turned her head away from her. "So what? I'm just like any other student here. Didn't Sneren make that clear?" "Yes. He did." "So, why are you even talking to me?" "Because you are a student. And as a teacher, it's my job to make sure every student gets their issues worked out before they get worse. It is Krolia's duty as well. Although, I don't think she's done enough." "What? How can you say that?" "Don't get me wrong, she covers the basics just fine, but did she ever really talk to you? As a friend?" Far away, Luzria saw the whole thing go down, both of them unaware that she's watching. "If she really cared for you, Lapis, don't you think she could've checked on you to see what's wrong?" "Well, that's on me. I didn't want any help, because anyone who ever goes near me or even tries to be my friend... gets hurt. I'd never wish that on anyone. That's why I never wanted to be in class. I didn't ask to be a Voltron Paladin or a daughter of Zaltron. I just am. It wasn't my choice." Then, the stranger handed her a little slip with a symbol of the Galra Empire. "Well, speaking of choices, I'd like to see if you're interested in a certain... mission." "And what's that?" "Our intel recently found out that Thace has been discovered and held captive by the Galra Empire. We need your help in bringing him back. Do you accept?" Luzria gasped at this before Lapis considered it and found it suspicious. If he really was captured, why wasn't there an alarm? Then, Lapis looked up to her. "Who are you? I didn't get your name." "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Vantiv." Luzria found it suspicious and made sure she remembered the name. "Vantiv..." Then, Lapis spoke again to her. "And the council? What do they think about this?" "The council is the one that approved it for you. Pretty soon, they'll all know your pain. One way... or another." Lapis tried to ask one more question before she noticed Vantiv was already gone. Then, she looked back at the slip and grew more suspicious. "Hmm... there's something about this Vantiv woman I don't trust. Odds are, I might as well have found my spy. I might need help, but... should I get help?" Then, Luzria spoke up. "Of course you do." Lapis looked to see Luzria and grew nervous before she asked her. "Luzria! How much did you hear?" "I heard everything." "Then you know why I have to do this alone." As Lapis walked away, Luzria got in the way. "No." "Move out of the way." "There's no way you're doing this alone." Lapis tried pushing Luzria, but she wouldn't budge. "Move... out of... the way." "I... told you... no!" Then, Lapis was getting worked up to the last nerve before she finally moved her. "Move!" However, in the process, she also knocked Luzria to the floor, shocking the both of them before Lapis tried to apologize to her. "Luzria. I'm sorry. I... just let me do this for you." With that, Lapis walked away as Luzria looked to her. "Lapis." Then, she remembered who's given her that slip to begin with. "Wait. She said Vantiv..."

* * *

Not long after, Luzria walked back into the dorm to see Adea and Atchiam with a determined look on her face. "Luzria?" "What happened?" "I just found out who the spy is. The council has to know about this, and I need you guys to help. Come on!" The confused Adea blinked her eyes as Luzria blinked her eyes. "Okay?"

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Thace stirred from his sleep to see Varek smiling at him. "Commander Thace. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." "Varek." "I have some questions for you to answer. I expect to be answered truthfully. Where is the Blade of Marmora?" Thace widened his eyes from his knowledge of this as Varek smiled.

* * *

Out in space, Lapis was driving a craft from the Blade of Marmora towards a cruiser, still wondering if she had made the right choice. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her, but it was the only way to move on without any more losses. "I'm sorry, everyone. But this is what's best for everyone." As it neared the cruiser, it turned invisible as it landed before Lapis activated her mask and put a hood over her head.

* * *

Meanwhile, the council, along with Vrathrea and Kolivan grew shocked to hear this, Sneren most of all. "Commander Thace has been discovered?" "Lapis is doing what?" "We didn't approve of this!" "That's exactly what I thought you'd say." Krul was stuck on the identity of who talked with her. "And you said her name was Vantiv?" "Yeah. I know every inch of this place. The teachers, the rooms, everything. And not once did I hear Vantiv at all. Pretty suspicious, don't you think?" That made things all the more clear for the council. "It appears we've found our spy after all." Then, Vrathrea was beginning to get concerned about her. "If what you say is true... she could be walking into a trap." Adea stepped up to the council next. "Exactly. Which is why we have to go and help her." Sneren, however, wasn't willing to condone this. "Hasn't there been enough mutiny already? I've already had Lapis home out by herself. I don't need three more students following in her footsteps." However, Krolia thought differently. "Councilman Sneren. We've all known it would come to this point. That one day, they'd know the stakes of the mission and risk their lives just like us. We can't deny them that." Sneren was surprised that Krolia would talk back at him and vented his anger. "You dare talk back to your superior?! Your mutiny knows no end!" That was the last straw for Vrathrea. "That's enough! I've condoned your temper for too long. We're going to help Lapis and that is final!" Atchiam grew happy that Vrathrea stood in defiance of Sneren as she pumped her fist. "Yes! I love it when you're feisty, Mom." Then, Krul spoke up. "It appears it's decided. The decision to go after Lapis and apprehend this spy is unanimous." Luzria and the others grew happy with that. "Now, let's go!" Then, Kolivan spoke up next. "And we better hurry. Lapis isn't our only concern here."

* * *

In the cruiser, Lapis looked left to right before ducking into a corner, upon seeing a drone walk by. Then, she ran throughout the hall before ducking into another corner. As she did, a drone walked past her, not noticing anything before she heard a voice speaking to Thace. "For the last time, where is the Blade of Marmora?!" Lapis knew very well who the voice belonged to. "Varek." As she crept closer, Thace continued denying its existence. "I... don't know." Varek then fires dark lightning at him in anger as he screamed. "You lie! Your chip alone is proof of its existence. Do not hold out on me!" Then, he received a signal on his gauntlet as it beeped before growling. "You're lucky to be breathing, Thace. But when I get back, no more questions. I will get the truth out of you, one way or another." With that, Varek began walking out of the torture chamber before Lapis hid herself. Once Varek's out of sight, Lapis went into the torture chamber and found Thace, who looked at her in surprise as he gasped before she spoke softly. "It's okay, Thace. I'm Lapis, a Paladin of Voltron." Then, he saw a certain accessory on her belt. "And a fellow Blade, I see." "I'll get you out of this real quick." However, she heard Vezek's voice before she could cut him loose. "Hold it." Lapis turned to see Vezek standing in front of her and Thace. Lapis didn't know who he was, but she could tell he was dangerous. "Who are you?" "I'm someone who's not going to let you steal what was promised to me." Hearing this, Lapis seemed to have figured it out. "So, you're a bounty hunter, then." Thace knee there was more to him than that. "Not just any bounty hunter, either. He has incredible speed and power." "Got it." Lapis got out her luxite knife and awakened it into a sword in preparation for combat. "If you're hired to retrieve him, who exactly hired you?" "I cannot say." "Not talking, huh?" Then, Vantiv's voice spoke to her. "He doesn't have to." "Huh?" Suddenly, in a swift move, Vantiv's hand dug into Lapis' belly as she yelped in pain before she ended up being pulled by the red and purple colored and kicked back to the ground. Lapis clutched into her area as Quintessence began leaking out of it while she growled at her. "Vantiv. So you were the spy." "Surprised?" "Not really. I knew there was something about you I didn't trust." "Really? What gave it away?" "The slip, your so-called intel, not to mention the fact that you were so eager to see me. So, basically everything." "Oh, is that right? Well, thank you for your notes." Then, Vantiv gripped Lapis by her hands and held her up. "You know, you're not so special yourself. You knew I was the spy all along, and you fell for my trap anyway." Then, Lapis looked to see Thace holding his head down before turning back to her. "I get it now. He wasn't really found out. You just captured him as bait." "You're half-right, actually. Vezek, here, actually captured him right when they found him. But I'm sure the Galra Empire would've done the same as we did to him. But..." Vantiv then flipped her and caught her legs before she held Lapis closer to her face. "...there is one difference for our version of this trap, though." "Really? What's the difference?" "We won't be asking you any questions." Then, she struck her fist on her wound, causing Lapis to exclaim in agony as she repeated the process. Thace couldn't stand watching the scene before he turned to see Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria before he nodded to them, reached for his own luxite blade and grabbed it. At which point, Vantiv stopped attacking her before she slammed her to the floor and turned her red and purple hand into a dagger. "Aw, poor little thing. Looks like you're going to die alone, after all. And no one will even care..." However, Adela's voice said otherwise. "But we do!" Vantiv turned around to see the trio in surprise before Thace ambushed her with a slash at her right eye, causing her to stagger back as he held her bridal style. "I've got you, Lapis." The trio noticed her condition and grew worried for her. "Oh, no." "Come on, girl." Then, Vantiv growled as she stood back up on her two feet before Thace turned to them. "We have to get out of here!" As they took off, Vantiv shouted to the wrist communicator that linked to all the drones. "Guards! Seal off every exit! Don't let any of them escape!" Then, Vezek gave his two cents. "You have a debt to pay, Vantiv, so you don't forget." "I'll pay it when they're wiped out." Then, Vezek glared at her. "Consider it done." Then, he disappeared as Vantiv breathed heavily, recovering from Thace's ambush.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group ran away before Luzria found a databank room and pointed it out to Thace, Atchiam, and Adea. "There!" They then ran into the room to find a single computer and got her chip out from under her fingernail. "Let's see what I can find." She installed it into the computer before attempting to get access to all the files. Adea and Atchiam didn't quite find it helpful in this situation as Thace took her hood off and wrapped it around her wound. "Uh, why are we in a computer room? We should be leaving!" "And helping Lapis!" "I know. But the doors are sealed off. We can't expect to get anywhere unless I override them. Can you guys cover for us?" Just then, the drones converged on their location before Adea and Atchiam smiled. "Oh, I get it now." "In that case, let's play rough." As the drones attempted to get in, Adea got her luxite blade and turned it into a medium scythe while Atchiam turned her luxite blade into a machete before they hacked at the drones while blocking their fire. As they did so, Luzria was getting close to overriding the exits. "Almost there, come on!" Suddenly, a blaster almost hit her before she yelled and turned to her guards. "Hey! Didn't I ask you to cover me?!" Adea responded as she sliced the weaponry before their midsections. "Sorry." Thace looked back to Lapis before he spoke. "Come on, Lapis. You've got to pull through. You've got to." Suddenly, a beeping rang out from the computer. "Got it, guys!" Then, the drones overpowered Adea and Atchiam only to shut down and collapse. "You're welcome." Luzria then removed the chip just as Lapis groaned and tried to open her eyes, much to Adela's worry. "Please, Lapis. Don't give up. Keep fighting." Thace turned to Luzria before speaking to her. "Are the exits unlocked?" "They should be." "Then we don't have much time." With that, the group ran off to the hangar bay before they saw an now visible Blade of Marmora ship. "There's our ride." Just then, Vezek appeared, to the chagrin of Atchiam. "Oh, come on! We were so close!" "None of you are going anywhere. And neither is the traitor." Adea turned to Thace before whispering. "Uh, I think he's talking about you." "They don't need to be involved in this. It's me you're after, Vezek." "My contract has changed. This time, I'll be taking out your friends as well." Adea grew scared of this as Atchiam grew angry while Luzria looked back to Lapis in concern before stepping up. "Why don't we try one on one? I'm not gonna stand by and let you hurt my friends." From Hearing those words, Lapis got the will to snap awake and turned to see Luzria standing up to Vezek. "Luzria..." "So that's how you want to play this?" "Yeah!" Then, Vezek closed his eyes before speaking. "Hmm. Very well, then." Then, in the instant he opened his eyes, Vezek appeared in front of Luzria whilst punching her in the gut and knocking her to the wall, earning Lapis' worry. Then, she struggled to move, catching Thace's attention as Luzria slowly got up from the attack as he walked forward. "You only have one option left. Surrender." Luzria's temper got snapped before she stood up and shouted. "Never! Victory or death!" She charged toward Luzria before he countered with a strike to her chest and then her side before she yelped while collapsing to the ground. Lapis saw the scene and strained herself to stand up while taking her luxite blade. All the while, Vezek moves closer before pulling his fist back. Thace knee from what he'd seen him do to a Druid that it's a one strike kill. "Luzria, move!" Then, Lapis yelled as she rolled out of Thace's arms before summoning her sword and running toward him with a shout. However, he was able to fire it at Lapis. But the result wasn't what he intended as she blocked it, catching his surprise and was frozen still. "No...!" Lapis growled at Vezek before yelling out and slashing through him, causing him to collapse, much to the group's surprise. Vezek groaned as he'd been bested before turning to Lapis. "But... but how?" "That's easy. Because I have friends worth fighting for." Vezek growled at her before he chuckled and stood up, causing Adea and Atchiam to prepare themselves as the got their luxite weapons ready. However, Vezek spoke the words they never expected to hear from him. "You may pass." Atchiam and Adea grew confused at them. "Huh?" "But weren't you supposed to kill us?" "I'll kill you on my own time. Always watch your back." Then, Vezek disappeared before Lapis turned to her group. "Come on, guys. Let's go!" "Right!" Then, they all boarded the ship before it took them away from the cruiser.

* * *

At the Blade of Marmora headquarters, Lapis was in the hospital bed as bandages were wrapped around her belly while Luzria, Adea, Vrathrea, Thace, Kolivan, Krolia, and Atchiam were by her side. "I don't understand. Why did you guys come back for me?" Kolivan spoke to her first before Adea, and Atchiam. "You took a great risk doing it on your own. It nearly got you killed." "Yeah, you had us so worried." "You didn't have to do that." Then, Lapis got confused on how she was found to begin with. "Wait. How did you even find me to begin with?" Luzria smiled as she answered. "Simple. I placed a tracker on your outfit when you tried to push me." Then, Lapis checked her pocket before finding a small device on her pants and pulled it out before she held her head down before she spoke again. "Look, guys. I'm sorry about what I said to you back there. I just didn't..." Then, Luzria interrupted Lapis before she could finish. "Stop. Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you? 3 vargas. That means I've had three vargas to think about this. And in that three vargas, I've decided..." Adea, Atchiam, Krolia, Kolivan, and Vrathrea grew anxious about where it was going before she finished. "I don't care!" "Huh? You don't?" "Well, you just didn't want anyone to get hurt, right?" "Yeah, but that didn't excuse me to—" "Upupupupup! I don't wanna hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up you'll come to your teammates, and not some... someone else." Lapis was confused at her words after what she'd put them through before she giggled and agreed to her terms. "Done."

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Vantiv stormed into the main control room to see Kaecilius, Varek, and Omegus. She was seething with rage at her scarred eye. Kaecilius turned to her and could tell she wasn't happy. "I take it things didn't go as planned?" "That would be an understatement." Omegus wasn't pleased with it, but was also indifferent on the outcome. "So... the spy failed. But it matters not. My ascension is fated to occur, and all of your work will not be in vain. That, I promise you..."


	25. Stayin' Alive

**A/N: Sorry to keep you waiting. I was doing a story on RWBY. A really great web series in my opinion. You can expect at least two more stories by the time Season 7 is released for Legendary Defender, and I am trying at the moment to not make a huge wall of text. I will fix this later on this year. Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 24:** Stayin' Alive

At the Castle, Allura was on her way to the Balmera while she played with the mice a road trip game that Hunk told them about.

"All right, then, what's the next one?"

The mice squeaked before she spoke.

"Two words."

The mice squawked another hint to her.

"Second word."

The big mouse did a wavy motion with its arm to demonstrate it.

"Waves?"

As an answer, the bigger mouse shook its head and finger.

"So I'm close. Ocean? Splash? Drink? Water?"

Finally, Allura had gotten the answer before it nodded to her.

"Water! All right then. First word."

Then, the mice piled up on the bigger one before they growled, giving a cue to a certain creature they know.

"That's a Bytor! Bytor Water!"

As the mice squeaked joyfully, Allura was thrilled to have gotten the answer.

"Yes! Hunk was right. These Earth road trip games do help pass the time."

Just then, a holo-monitor came up before Babak spoke through it.

"We have an incoming transmission from Olkarion, Princess."

"Patch it through."

Then, Coran's face came into view.

"How are you, Princess? Are you almost at the Balmera?"

"We're scheduled to arrive in just a few doboshes. I hope I'm able to find a crystal big enough for the teludav, especially with Jenny away on a mission."

Coran knew her powers added to Allura's and understood her point.

"Oh, yes. Have you heard from the other Paladins?"

"I had contact with her, Lance, Shiro, and Pidge a little bit ago. They've located Slav. And Lapis was able to take care of the Blades' potential problem."

"What about Hunk, Ayame, Keith, and— and Sandra?"

Babak spoke back with hate towards two in particular.

"Why does it matter? They were our enemy to begin with!"

"No word from them yet. And Babak still hasn't gotten over it, as you can see."

"I have no doubt my scientifically accurate instructional video was of great help."

Babak and Allura has doubts.

"Oh, of course. Why not?"

"I'm sure it was. If they collect enough Scaultrite for the lenses, will your teludav structure be complete?"

"It's nearly done. Zaltron, the Olkari, and I have been working on it day and night. It will be ready in time."

"Oh, I hope so."

Then, Babak spoke to Allura, trying to comfort her and put aside his hate for the moment.

"Are you alright, Princess? You seem anxious."

"I was thinking of my father. He gave his life to try to keep Voltron out of Zarkon's hands, and now we have a chance to defeat him. I... I don't want to fail."

Coran spoke to Allura next.

"You know, Princess, your father would be proud of you. It wasn't that long ago we found out Altea had been destroyed."

"I've never felt so alone."

"Nor have I. And we could have easily given up. But we didn't. You didn't. And now look at us. We reformed Voltron and got the Violet and White Lions. We freed the Olkari and the Balmerans, and now they're working alongside us."

Allura began to smile at how far they've come to defeating Zarkon.

"You're right, Coran. We have allies. And that's what's going to defeat Zarkon, let alone Kaecilius."

Then, Coran did a sign off with his hand on his head.

"Crack a squizzle on the Balmera, Princess."

"Thank you, Coran."

Just then, the Castle entered the orbit of the Balmera as the people there looked up to it and pointed to it in wonder before Allura emerged and was met with Shay and her family.

"The Balmera welcomes your return, Princess Allura."

"Princess, did Hunk accompany you?"

"I'm sorry, Shay, but I've come alone. The others are in missions of their own collecting important elements that we need to defeat Zarkon."

Shay's Grandmother grew surprised that they're prepared to do this so soon before becoming determined.

"Defeat Zarkon? How can we help? The Balmera and its people can never thank you enough for all that you've done."

"If the Balmera will give it, I need a crystal."

Shay grew curious as to how big it was meant to be for Allura's favor.

"Battleship class?"

"Bigger."

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, he, Varek, and Vantiv saw the giant robeast of Balmera trapped in a giant crystal as the Rogue Druid glared at it while she smirked.

"Imbecilic creature."

"Haggar must've created it to deal with the Paladins at the Balmera before it died. I bet that was a mistake."

Then, Omegus's voice spoke to her reply.

"Indeed. Nevertheless, its endurance is incredibly a winning factor. Which is why I will claim it as my vessel."

Then, Kaecilius looked to the Chaotic Comet that held his very substance.

"I suppose we'll need to do this swiftly. And discreetly."

Vantiv smiled at his implication as Varek looked to her.

"I trust you can handle it?"

"What do you think?"

* * *

At the Blade of Marmora headquarters, Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria stood in the main hall as Councilman Sneren and Councilwoman Vrathrea stood in front of them as he spoke to the Blades present at the ceremony, including but not limited to Kolivan, Krolia, Caxas, Pruknak, and Jareth.

"My fellow blades. Today, these young cadets have made their marks above and beyond the call of duty in seeking out the spy that would've resulted in our plan's imminent failure. Today, their bravery and selflessness will be regarded with the highest honor in the war's potential last days. For they shall lead a strike unit, one of which that will be the key to defeating Zarkon's reign and bringing peace to the universe."

Then, the Blades shouted in praise and applause as the cadets smiled to each other before Sneren spoke onward.

"From this day forth, their team shall be known as the 'Rogue Thrust'. For they knew what it meant to put their lives on the line while defying those who would speak against their righteous acts. One even such as I. And for this, they have my utmost gratitude. Vrepit Sa!"

Then, the Blade of Marmora joined in as they put their hands on their chests before speaking in unison.

"Vrepit Sa!"

Then, the cadets did the same act next.

"Vrepit Sa!"

Adea then turned to Atchiam before whispering.

"Am I the only one who feels weird about saying it?"

Atchiam replied back in a whisper.

"Nope."

However, Lapis' was the only one who wasn't celebrating as she sighed.

* * *

Back at the Balmera, hundreds of its people joined Allura to assist at retrieving the biggest crystal imaginable as they beheld its majesty.

"Incredible."

"When the Galra were here, these caverns were closed off. As if the Balmera was protecting itself. Now that the Balmera is free and healed, the crystal caverns are opened once more."

Then, Allura placed her hands on the crystal as the Balmerans joined in by placing their hands in the soil as part of the ceremony. As they did, several crystals moved up to the cluster as if lifting it before a rumbling came from above, catching Shay's notice.

"Of what was that rumble? Perhaps a crystal this big has never been asked for."

"No. This is something different."

"Shall we stop the ceremony?"

"Let her finish."

Then, the Balmera produced the giant cluster to Allura before she smiled.

"Thank you."

Meanwhile, Vantiv was using a manual pod to steer toward the giant robeast with a dark purple helmet on her head before she landed on it and got the Chaos Comet out before she spoke.

"I don't see why Lord Omegus would choose this as his vessel, but... it is his will."

With that, Vantiv slammed the Comet into the Balmera Crystal holding it captive before it turned dark red and covered the robeast in red and black lightning as he spoke.

"It is time..."

* * *

Far away, Allura was prepared to leave the Balmera, having retrieved the crystal and placing it within the Castle.

"The crystal has been loaded onto your Castle, Princess."

Allura then proceeded to hug Shay and her grandmother before the eldest of the two spoke.

"We wish you could stay longer. I made you stickercup stew for the sky road."

That made Allura quite worried about her appetite.

"Oh, thank you. I'm sure I shall enjoy this immensely. To all you Balmerans, thank you once again."

Then, they all felt rumbling from the ground before Allura grew worried.

"What was that?"

To their horror, they noticed the giant robeast transforming within the Comet, having armor similar to a Galra General, only in full black coloring, the core with the crystal glowing dark red, and a red, ethereal hologram of Omegus' face present as its head.

"People of the Balmera, look upon me and DESPAIR!"

Allura grew frightful of his presence on the Balmera and feared the worst.

"Oh, no! Omegus..."

As the Balmerans ran for cover, Omegus summoned two dark red crystal shields around him while Allura dropped the bowl handed to her by Shay's Grandmother.

"Take cover in the Balmera! I'll hold it off with the Castle's defenses."

With that, Allura went in the pod that went up into the Castle.

"Hurry, hurry!"

Then, Vantiv got on the pod before speaking to her lord.

"Omegus, the Princess is taking leave of Balmera!"

"Good... the whole universe will see her perish."

However, running away wasn't what Allura had in mind first as she got to the main systems.

"Particle barrier up!"

With that, the Castle's barrier activated before firing a barrage of blasts at him. Then, she realized her error as the crystals moved swiftly to block out the shots.

"Those crystals are acting as shields."

As she realized this, Omegus spoke to Allura next.

"Insolent flea. Begone."

Then, Omegus prepared a dark red energy beam on his crystallized chest before firing a black and red blast at the barrier, causing Babak to stumble in the main generator, and falling to the floor before he sent a transmission to her in his frustration.

"What the quiznak is going on out there, Princess?!"

"It's Omegus! Somehow, he's found a vessel!"

"What?! How?!"

"I don't know, but you have to get ready. We need to lure it away from the Balmera!"

With that, the Castle took off into the air as Vantiv went back to the cruiser outside the Balmera's atmosphere with a smile on her face as Omegus glared at the Castle.

"You cannot run."

Then, Omegus held his arms up before taking flight as the Balmerans watched.

* * *

Far away, Keith and Ayame were snapping back at Hunk.

"We didn't just turn Galra!"

Sandra smirked at their off-putting temper.

"And you guys thought I have anger management issues."

"Quiet, Sandy!"

Hunk then began comparing Sandra to Keith and Ayame, looking back and forth, catching her annoyance.

"Are you trying to see if our skin is purple?"

"No. Okay, yes. But come on, can you blame me? Sandra is your sister, so by proxy, you should have purple skin too, right?"

Then, Allura spoke to them on their monitor.

"Hunk, Keith, Ayame, Sandra, are you there? Can you hear me?"

Then, Ayame spoke to her.

"We're all here, Allura. What's going on?"

"You must return to the Castle! Omegus has found a vessel and is launching an attack! I need you!"

Ayame's eyes widened to know that Omegus has returned before she and Keith spoke.

"What? So soon?"

"We're on our way."

* * *

At the Blue Lion, Jenny, Pidge, Shiro, Lance, Belle, and Slav were going over the plan.

"So, what do we do, Pidge?"

"Let's call Allura, and let her know that we have Slav and we're ready to use the teludav."

That made Slav seem to panic.

"You didn't say we'd be traveling by teludav."

Belle, trying her hardest to be patient, spoke to Slav.

"Is... that a bad thing?"

"No. Actually, it is a very efficient way to travel."

Just then, Allura spoke up on their monitor.

"Paladins, are you there?"

Jenny spoke to Allura first.

"Yeah, we're here. What's going on?"

"That monster that attacked us in the Balmera has returned! And worst of all, Omegus is controlling it!"

The Paladins, along with Jenny, Belle, and Slav grew shocked to hear this.

"What?"

"Omegus?!"

"The Darkness of the Universe?! Against him, there's a 0.0000001% chance of surviving!"

"I need you back here immediately."

Then, Lance spoke to her in a cool voice.

"You got it, Princess. Sharpshooter is on the way."

That made Jenny prick her ears up in confusion.

"Sharpshooter? I get that Shiro called you that, but is that your thing, now?"

"It's my new nickname that I have myself. Just— Just pass it on."

* * *

"We're ready when you are, Allura."

Outside the Blade of Marmora headquarters, Lapis was riding her Violet Lion with Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria. Adea was the most enthusiastic out of the group.

"This is so cool, Lapis! How long have you had this?"

"I've had it since I met the Paladins."

"You have?"

"Yeah. So, I'd appreciate it if you tried to keep your... excitement to a minimum before you break something. And don't touch anything either."

Then, Adea slumped down as she pouted.

"Okay."

Just then, Allura spoke to Lapis on the monitor.

"Lapis, please come in!"

"I'm here, Allura. What's the trouble?"

"The creature from the Balmera has returned and Omegus is using it as his host!"

Hearing this, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria grew shocked as Lapis spoke.

"Don't worry. I'll come to you."

When the transmission ended, the group spoke their concerns.

"Did she just say Omegus? The same 'Darkness Incarnate' Omegus?"

"How in the universe did he manage to come back?!"

"That guy is basically just the worst!"

"That's why we're going to help, guys. So he doesn't stay that way for long. Buckle up."

With that, the Violet Lion took off in a flash as the rest of the group were bracing its speed, making their faces blurry as Adea tried to speak in the great gale of velocity.

"Th-th-th-this is t-t-t-too f-f-f-faaaaaaaaaast!"

* * *

Outside the Balmera, Omegus fired a black and red bean from his chest before grazing the particle barrier. Suddenly, the Violet Lion appeared out of the black space before firing an ion cannon at Omegus' back, earning his angry moan before turning to it, allowing Allura to create the wormholes that brought both groups back to the Balmera before they noticed Omegus' vessel as Lance grew concerned about it.

"Whoa! How is that thing operational? It has a hologram for a head!"

Then, Pidge got a closer look at its shoulder blade, which contained the Chaos Comet planter previously by Vantiv.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it has something to do with that comet."

Shiro wanted to put first things first.

"Can't worry about that now. We have to protect the Castle."

Slav whimpered before he noticed the Violet Lion and his mood changed.

"Wait! The Violet Lion! Aha! Our chances of survival have gone up to 200%! I bet my bottom GAC that the Blades of Marmora are using it."

Just then, a monitor came up showing Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria at the cockpit.

"Uh, guys? A little help here?"

That made Slav all the more eager for them.

"Ah, yes! I was right!"

In the Yellow Lion, Keith tried to think of a way to defeat it before turning to Hunk.

"How did we beat it last time?"

"We formed Voltron, then I stuck in my bayard and shot it with my blaster right in its arm lasers. But that didn't stop it so then we had to punch it."

Shiro had a hypothesis.

"So we're gonna need Voltron."

Purge saw a drawback to this plan, however.

"But we only have three lions."

Then, Lance spoke up.

"Well, maybe we can form the legs and kick it."

Jenny offered a better solution.

"Or... maybe Lapis can buy us some time so we can get to our lions."

"Good idea."

Just then, Omegus fired another black and red beam as he spoke.

"Fools."

As it swung and missed the lions and the Castle, Omegus turned two of the neighboring planets onto dust before they scattered away and floated, shocking all of the group. Shiro knee it was the more reason for Voltron to appear.

"That new laser is much more powerful. We're definitely gonna need all the lions. Lapis, you distract it so we can fly into the Castle. Once we get our lions out, we'll cover you."

"Got it."

Then, Adea spoke into the monitor.

"Wait, wait, wait. We have to hold off the Darkness of the Universe by ourselves?"

Shiro grew confused at their presence in the Violet Lion before Slav recognized.

"Uh, who are you guys?"

"Oh, wait! I know these guys! Let me talk with them!"

Slav spoke to them on the monitor for reassurance.

"Don't worry, guys! The Violet Lion should have a 200% chance of surviving long enough for us to get the lions!"

Adea was still stuck on a word in that sentence, as helpful as it was.

"Wait. 'Should?'"

"There's no time to argue. We got to do this now."

With that, Adea gulped before speaking again.

"I never thought I'd say this, but... Oh, Quiznak!"

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, Vantiv walked into the main chamber as she smiled.

"It is done. The comet has been placed in the robeast."

Varek then stated the obvious as he pointed to an empty rift.

"We can see that. It's a wonder Zarkon hasn't gotten here yet."

"It's safe to say he's tiring himself out. He's getting really sloppy."

Then, Kaeciliis spoke next.

"If that's true, he'll be as vulnerable as ever. Once he's gone, the Galra Empire will be no more. And in its place, the Drule Empire will be the rightful heirs of the universe."

At the Balmera, the Violet Lion shot its ion cannon at the vessel with no success as the crystals blocked them, much to Lapis' frustration.

"The crystals are blocking all of our attacks!"

Luzria tried to suggest a different idea.

"Why don't you just get in its face?"

Then, Omegus roared as he fired a black and red laser at the Castle's particle barrier and destroyed it, leaving it vulnerable.

"That's why, Luzria. That, and do you really want to turn into dust?"

With that, Luzria spoke against herself.

"I'll be quiet now."

Then, Lapis spoke to the rest of the group as the Violet Lion charged toward Omegus.

"If any of you got a plan to distract him, I'm all ears."

As it charged, Adea had a suggestion.

"Try ramming the crystals! Maybe it'll knock them off balance!"

"Okay!"

With that, Lapis thrusted the levers forward, smashing the crystals away before Omegus called them back and growled at them before chasing after them.

"Good. He's chasing us."

Atchiam and Luzeia glared at Adela before she explained herself.

"What? She said we needed to distract it, not take it out."

At the Castle, the Paladins went to their lions as Slav marveled the Castle and Alluea gave the condition of the particle barrier.

"Ahh..."

"The particle barrier is severely damaged."

Shiro turned to Jenny and Ayame before speaking to her.

"Jenny, Ayame, get back out there to give Lapis cover. Lance, Sandra, Belle, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and I are right behind you."

The two of them agreed intermittently.

"Got it."

Then, as they went to their lions, Slav had a suggestion.

"Don't worry about me. I'll just hang out here."

"Actually, Belle, Sandra?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, Shiro?"

"Can you and Slav help the Princess restore the particle barrier?"

Slav answered for them quickly.

"Yes."

After a moment of standing still, Belle cleared her throat.

"He meant right now."

"Oh, you mean in _this_ reality. Got it."

Then, Slav got to work on it as Belle sighed and Sandra turned to her.

"Where'd you find that guy again?"

Meanwhile, Lapis was steering to the directions of Atchiam, who was a skilled pilot in her training.

"Bank left! Barrel Roll! Nose dive!"

Lapis, having known those maneuvers by heart, spoke to her.

"I got this, Atchiam. Thanks for the suggestions, though."

Just then, the rest of the lions came out before Ayame appeared on her monitor.

"Get some rest, guys! I'll take it from here."

Adds noticed her and grew baffled.

"Wait, that's Xaira? But where's the purple skin?"

Lapis wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

"It's complicated, Adea."

With that, the Violet Lion took off from the laser before Omegus proceeded to fire at the White Lion, only for it to dodge and hit the Violet Lion, earning their screams of agony as Ayame and Jenny grew worried.

"Guys!"

"Oh, no!"

As a result, the Violet Lion began to shut down before it fell down, angering Ayame as she lurched the levers toward it while Shiro went to the Violet Lion. As he did, Adea spoke to Lapis.

"Uh, is it supposed to do that?"

"I can't get it working! It's shut down!"

Then, Omegus prepared to fire the black and red laser again.

"Disappear."

Then, his crystals blocked the attack of the White Lion before Pidge spoke to Shiro.

"We need to protect Lapis."

"I've got her."

As Pidge attacked the vessel, Shiro moved in to clutch the Violet Lion before he moved it to the Castle while the Green and White Lions were shooting at the crystals. Ayame wasn't afraid to express her anger.

"I'm getting real sick of that crystal. How do we get rid of them?"

Jenny had an idea about it.

"Let's try ramming into them. After that, Pidge, you, Lance, Keith, and Hunk go all gangsta on him!"

"On it."

As the White Lion charged at it and collided with the crystals, Lance and Pidge proceeded to shoot the front of him while Keith and Hunk shot the back side, only for Omegus to swerve the shields to counter all of the other lions before Omegus moved in toward the Castle as Pidge spoke to Shiro.

"Shiro, he's on his way to the Castle!"

"I got it."

Then, Shiro left the Violet Lion in the air as he went toward Omegus, much to the worriment of Adea.

"Well, who's got us?"

Then, Lapis tried to connect with her lion.

"Come on, Vi. I need you to pull through. You've got to."

Luzria felt confused at this.

"Wow. I think she's lost it."

Meanwhile, Shiro entered the fray.

"Form jaw blade!"

Once it did, it tried to pierce the crystal barriers before charging at it again, clashing as Lapis tried to connect with it.

"Come on, Vi. Everyone needs you. I need you."

As Omegus formed the barrier and defended himself from the ramming technique, the rest of the lions shot at him as Pidge spoke.

"We'll keep the crystals busy. Shiro, you attach from the other side."

"On my way."

Then, Omegus shot the laser at Shiro, only to miss and barely graze the Violet Lion before it came online again.

"There you go, girl."

Just then, Omegus came near the Violet Lion, terrifying Adea.

"Ahh, he's getting closer, he's getting closer!"

Then, he clutched the Violet Lion in his grip before Atchiam commented on the situation.

"Oh, great!"

As the lions shot at his back, the crystals held it back as Omegus spoke.

"This is your end, Paladin."

However, a bright light that attacked his front said otherwise as it forced him to let go of the Violet Lion before it turned to see the White Lion. Jenny checked up on them to be safe.

"You guys okay?"

"We are now."

Then, Adea remembered a certain detail.

"Oh, wait! Can't you just turn it into some kind of Voltron?"

"Good idea, Adea, but I don't think it's gonna just sit around and wait for us to do that."

Just then, Vrathtea came up on the monitor.

"Let us worry about that."

Atchiam grew surprised to see her in the monitor just as her fighter appeared along with countless others. It was like any Galra fighter except the red coloring is purple.

"Mom?! What are you doing here?!"

"We were with you from the beginning, but you took off faster than we did."

Lapis felt sheepish about that.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

"Never mind that. We'll take care of this."

With that, Vrathrea joined in on the fray as she fired bullets at Omegus as did the Paladins while Hunk saw the bright side.

"I don't know what the heck's going on here, but at least we outnumber those crystal shields."

Lance could agree with him there.

"Yeah, he can only block two of us."

As he fired his laser, Pidge came up with an alternative.

"I think I've got an idea. Guys, see if you can get me an open shot at its chest."

"Got it."

Then, the lions shot at the center, causing it to put up the shields before the Blue Lion shot a blue ray at it and froze them together. Next, Pidge fired a green ray at it, causing vegetation to clutch at his core.

"What?!"

"Nice job, Pidge. Now form Voltron!"

"Yeah!"

Then, Adea grew excited.

"Does this mean what I think it means?"

"Yep."

Then, Lapis stuck her bayards in place before the Paladins formed Voltron while the Violet Lion evolved itself into the Violet Voltron and both prepared a sword and a scythe. Adea was really getting very giddy at this.

"Oh, my gosh! She has a scythe! Just like me!"

Then, the two Voltrons charged toward the vessel who got the vegetation away before he turned in time to see the Paladins as they shouted while Omegus prepared a barrier. However, while the sword was caught in the barrier, the scythe pierces him from behind, sticking out of its core as Omegus seemed indifferent before speaking.

"Perhaps this vessel wasn't worthy enough... but know this. I shall return."

Then, the hologram disappeared before it began to break apart and explode as they watched before Allura spoke.

"Great work, Paladins. Now return to the Castle so we can get back to Olkarion."

* * *

At the Castle, Slav was making changes while laying on the table.

"Why is there a grand entrance on the 40th floor? And what's with all the ziplines? You have hover technology."

Allura never asked for his opinion.

"Well, you know what? Ziplines were quite fashionable 10,000 years ago."

Just then, the Paladins came in as Keith spoke to her.

"Allura, have you heard from Coran?"

"Yes. I've checked in with him and the felucca is nearly complete."

Babak then spoke to Hunk.

"Thank you for getting the scaultrite, Hunk. Without you, it wouldn't have been possible."

"No problem."

Then, he reminded him of a few others as well.

"You know, Keith, Ayame, and Sandy were there, too."

Babak only glared at Keith and Sandra before he walked away. As a wormhole opened up and took the Castle and the other Blades to Olkarion, Vantiv was on a manual pod and scavenged the Chaos Comet leftover from the collodion as she clutched into it with her hands and went back in the cruiser.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Olkarion, Coran spoke to them about the teludav.

"We've made great progress while you were gone. And now that we have the scaultrite, we should be finished in less than a quintant."

Lance and Jenny were astounded by the sheer size of it as Keith felt it was praiseworthy.

"Wow. That is one giant teludav."

"You can say that again."

"Nice work, Coran."

"Good job, Coran. Fist bump."

Then, Hunk engaged in doing a fist bump with Coran as he opened his hand before he spoke.

"Now blow it up."

However, that made Coran angry, thinking he's suggesting that he destroy the teludav.

"Oh, don't you dare! It took forever to build this teludav. And let's not forget it's a pivotal piece that we need for our plan to defeat Zarkon and stop Omegus from coming."

To his surprise, a monitor came up to show Slav on the teludav, banging a rock against it.

"Aaah!"

"I've made some improvements to your design. This will increase our chances of survival in this reality up to 205 percent."

Coran turned to them and asked them.

"Is this guy a little—?"

Belle answered first before Shiro, Pidge, Lance, and Jenny.

"Nuttier than a fruitcake? Yeah."

"Yes."

"No doubt."

"Not a fan."

"A little cuckoo-crazy. But kinda funny, too."

However, Coran shouted at Slav in an attempt to stop him.

"Stop hitting the teludav!"

However, it was too late as a part of it exploded on him.

"Ow."

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura was staring out at the sun with Jenny and Ayame.

"Can you believe how close we are?"

"Yeah, Allura. To think it felt like it was yesterday when I turned into an Altean."

Then, Allura noticed Ayame's dismal look before getting the feeling about what it was about.

"You're worried for Zark— I mean, your people?"

"It's okay to ask that, Allura? And, of course I'm worried. My mother believed there was good in him, even after she died. But... no one else seems to believe that. So I'm scared. What'll happen when I do face my father? Don't get me wrong. I want what's best for the Galra Empire and bring it back to the light, but... I don't want to have to kill my father, either. I know what you would do after what he did to you. And I don't blame you, but..."

"I never wanted that, Ayame. He may have done terrible things, but none of that was his fault. Our fight against Omegus proved that. I won't let it end like this. I promise you I won't."

Ayame has doubts as she hung her head down.

"Are you sure you even have a choice?"

Just then, Coran walked in.

"Princess, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"What is it Coran?"

"This plan of ours, it's... well, it's dangerous, you know? We're taking certain risks. You are taking certain risks. This teludav, the amount of exertion it will take, I ju— You and Jenny may not survive."

"Coran, we know the risks."

After a moment of silence, Allura looked back to the sunset before Coran spoke again.

"Your father would be proud of the leader that you've become."

Far away, the Paladins looked out at the sunset with Pidge bringing up a question.

"What's everybody thinking about?"

Keith and Shiro answered at the same time Hunk did.

"Zarkon."

"Calzones."

That made everyone look at Hunk before he grew nervous.

"I mean, uh, heck, yeah, I'm thinking about calzones, okay? I mean, does it always have to be about Zarkon? He's a bad guy. We're trying to defeat him. I get it. I'm hungry."

Then, Keith spoke up about the reason why he's thinking about Zarkon.

"Actually, I'm thinking about how Ayame would feel about this. Every time I mention him, she looks... so anxious. No one knows what'll happen to her once we... you know, right Shiro?"

"Yeah. She's trying to think about what the right thing to do is. And I don't blame her."

"Me neither. We've come a long way, after all."

Then, Lance spoke up next.

"Yeah, remember when Hunk used to throw up from riding in the elevator?"

That made Hunk growl before he spoke up about another memory.

"You guys remember that Arusian? Klaizap, I think his name was? Cool name."

"Yeah. He tossed his stick at Varek when he took over the castle even though he's the size of a peanut."

Keith grew defensive at Lance for bringing that up.

"He was their bravest warrior!"

Then, Pidge laughed about a memory when the Castle was invaded by a ghost.

"How about the tone the food goo machines attacked us in the kitchen?"

Hunk didn't like that part one bit.

"That was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me the entire time I've been here."

Lance bumped his arm as he spoke.

"Oh, come on."

"What? It's the truth!"

"We faced sentries, mad scientists, a haunted castle, giant Robeasts, magic soldiers, a mall security guard."

Pidge brought up the most recent memories on Olkarion as well.

"And don't forget that cool cube thing."

"Yeah, and that awful cube thing."

Then, Shiro spoke of another topic, concerning the aftermath.

"You realize once we defeat Zarkon, the universe won't need Voltron anymore."

That made Lance think about it more determinedly.

"We can return to Earth."

Pidge and Keith spoke next.

"I can look for my family."

"I guess I could look for mine."

"This is it. As long as everything goes according to plan, we can't fail."

Then, they all stared up to the sky, determined to bring the universe to peace.

Far away, Ayame and Jenny were still out at the sunset before Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria joined them. When Jenny noticed, she grew happy and smiled.

"Hi. Here to watch this, too?"

Adea nodded to her before Atchiam spoke up.

"We just didn't have anything else to do."

Next, Luzria spoke to Ayame.

"So you're Xaira, and you're fighting against Zarkon? How do you feel about that?"

"Conflicted, I guess. I mean, I just want what's best for the Galra, but... what am I gonna do when I face my father?"

"Uh, defeat him, of course!"

"It's not that simple. There's good in him. I know there is."

Luzria had her fair share of doubts about that.

"If there was good in him, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Then, Lapis cleared her throat before she stopped her and spoke to Ayame herself.

"Look, Ayame. Zarkon didn't make you who you are. Sure, he gave you life and your blade, but what else did he ever do for you?"

Ayame looked at her luxite blade before looking back to Lapis.

"I'm not doing this because I'm his daughter, Lapis. I'm doing this because he needs to be saved."

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, Vantiv returned with the Chaos Comet before placing it in the container and extracting the dark red Chaotic Quintessence from inside before injecting it into herself, urging herself not to fight it and to make it fear her. As a result, her Quintessential arm changed its color from red and light purple to dark red and black as her eyes turned red as well before changing to their normal color as she examined her arm. After which, she gave her own Quintessence to the Chaos Comet, causing it to glow bright red at the cracks in the process.

"They think the day is theirs, Omegus. But they're wrong. As you said, you will rise before this day's over..."


	26. Best Laid Plans

**Chapter 25:** Best Laid Plans

At Olkarion, the Paladins were in their lions around the teludav as Allura spoke to Ryner.

"Thank you, Ryner, for all you and the Olkarion have done to assist us."

Then, she turned to Kolivan.

"Kolivan, is your council ready?"

"The council has been called to the Castle by Vrathrea. They should be waiting for us any moment now."

"Good."

Then, she turned to the Olkari before she spoke.

"Once we defeat Zarkon, it is my hope that we can continue to unite our forces and rebuild the once great coalition that my father, King Alfor, began."

The Olkari cheered from Allura's words, knowing that peace in the universe is nigh. Coran spoke to Allura amidst the cheering.

"Princess, it's time."

Later, the pod went up in the Castle as the Lions were huddled in a circle under the structure of the teludav.

"Everyone lock into position. We're taking this thing up."

With that, the lions clamped down their jaws on the teludav before Shiro gave a message to Allura.

"Princess, we are go for launch."

"Charging main turbine."

As the Castle took off, the lions and the teludav did as well, leaving Olkarion for what would be known as The Great Battle.

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, Vantiv walked over to him before she asked him.

"How soon are we going to attack?"

"Hopefully, not too long, my dear. Omegus is resting from the failed attempt. And now that they have all the necessary items, all we can do is wait until Zarkon finds the Black Lion. After which, the moment their plan springs into action, we shall alter it to our favor."

"Yes. And then Voltron and their allies will get what they deserve."

* * *

At the Castle, Shiro was going over the plan to the Paladins and the blades, including the council, for clarity.

"All right, guys, listen up. I'll use the Black Lion to lure Zarkon's fleet to our current location and make sure he's within the teludav's area of effect. Keeping the teludav hidden behind the space-fold until the last possible second is essential. We can count on you, right, Slav?"

"Absolutely. I'll be fine."

Then, he turned his eyes over to Luzria and Pidge.

"I'm not sure about the gravity generator, though."

Hunk grew worried about that part.

"What? Wh—What was that last thing?"

"Hiding a ship is one thing, but I've never had to build a gravity generator for something this large before. I know it'll work, but I'm not really sure for how long."

Shiro spoke up to Slav to get to the point.

"Well, that's a risk we'll have to take. Once Zarkon's ship is in position, Kolivan, Krolia, Zaltron, Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, and Antok will coordinate with Thace. Together, they'll upload Zarkon's security system and upload the virus."

Pidge spoke up next as she smirked.

"And then, he'll be a sitting du-flax."

Hearing this, Adea grew confused, probably more so than everyone else.

"Uh, what?"

"What? A du-flax is an Altean creature with a beak and webbed feet."

"Oh. Sorry. I-I got it now."

Then, Coran leaped onto the podium.

"We'll wormhole Zarkon 500 million light years away, and he'll be in the Yggiz Galaxy before he knows what hit him!"

Then, Shiro turned to Vrathrea, Sneren, and Krul.

"What about Thace?"

Vrathrea spoke to Shiro on his progress.

"He's injured, but thankfully it wasn't severe. But, the Galra Empire already know he's the spy."

Then, Sneren spoke next.

"And if they already know, the whole plan is in enough jeopardy already. We need to abort the mission effective immediately."

Allura overheard this and grew angry at him, matching Vrathrea's fury.

"Abort? No! We cannot back away now."

Sneren snarled at her before speaking to her angrily.

"You may be willing to risk your own soldier's lives, but I am not! The Blade of Marmora isn't foolish like you!"

Adea grew worried about what it could lead to before she covered her mouth.

"Oh, no..."

However, Allura didn't let her temper get in the way of convincing them to do what's right, as much as she disliked his standing.

"It's held you back. Your caution is the reason Zarkon is still in power. It's the reason Omegus is in power!"

"We would rather wait than jeopardize everything. And even if it was the case, it's too late to send someone else on the inside."

Ayame stood up with Keith and both spoke up to Sneren.

"We'll do it."

Babak grew surprised to hear this.

"What?"

"Keith, Sandy, and I'll sneak onto Zarkon's ship. We're Galra, so we'll be able to interact with their technology."

Then, Keith turned to Pidge.

"Pidge, you can rig up one of those pods with a cloaking device, right?"

"Well, yeah."

Sneren was getting infuriated by their mutiny.

"Mutiny, again! Going onto Zarkon's ship is a death wish! I would never elect someone so inexperienced to go on a suicide mission!"

"We're not asking your permission, Sneren. Like it or not, the three of us are doing this."

Babak glared at the three before Shiro spoke up.

"Let's do it."

Later on, the Black Lion took off to space, acting as bait.

* * *

At Zarkon's command center, he was conducting the ceremony until Haggar stopped them, causing him to groan as he was cut out of it before he angrily spoke.

"Why do you disturb me?"

"My apologies, sire. I fear your singular focus has—"

"Has what?"

"I've overstepped my bounds. We've found a spy within our ranks before he disappeared. He plans something with an outside force. I suspect an attack is imminent."

"Let your Druids locate him and find out what he knows. You will stay here. The only thins that matter to me are getting the Black Lion, finding my daughter, and ridding myself of Omegus forever! I need the power you possess to search the galaxy."

With that, she and the Druids reluctantly conducted the ceremony again before Zarkon ended up going past the Blade of Marmora headquarters before going past it and a few burning stars, only to run past the Black Lion and fall to the ground as he took his breath.

"I have found the Lion."

Then, Zarkon sent a message to a Galra chief named Commander Throk.

"Get the fleet into hyper drive! I know where the Black Lion is."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

At the Black Lion, Shiro smiled after the link came back to him.

"Zarkon took the bait. He's got my location. Is everybody in position?"

Kolivan then spoke to Shiro about their positions.

"Yes, Shiro. The pod is almost ready and the gravity generator is being supervised by Slav. Lapis and her team will join them with the Violet Lion as soon as their own cloaking device is set up."

Adea giggled as she waved to Shiro before he spoke.

"Good. Keith, Ayame, Sandra, let me know when you're on your way. I'll give you guys cover."

* * *

At the hangar bay, Pidge installed the cloaking device in the pod as Babak walked up.

"Okay, the cloaking device is ready to go."

"Ahem! I'd like to have a moment with those three."

Pidge looked back and forth from them to Babak, already determining the situation won't be good.

"Sure thing. Uh, have all the moments you like."

As Babak walked up, Keith spoke to him.

"Is there something we can help you with?"

Babak spoke with venom in his voice.

"What I want is for you three to never come back."

The three grew surprised, Sandra being the most hurt from this before he spoke further.

"Of course, that's what I would ask of you... if I didn't know any better. It's just— the Galra. They've done atrocious things, Kaecilius most of all. He hurt me the most because we were partners once. Family, even. But, in time, I've grown to accept you and the Paladins to be my family. So, when I found out that you were Galra, I... I didn't know what to think. I wanted to hate you. Worse... I wanted to decrease the surplus population of the savages."

Ayame knew what it meant and spoke to him in shock

"How could you think like that?"

"That's just it. It wasn't any of you. It's me. My fury toward the Galra have made me susceptible to go down to their level until the last possible moment. And I want you to know that I... apol— apol— apol—"

Keith and Ayame were confused before Sandra giggled a little bit before she spoke up.

"It's okay, you can say it."

Then, Babak cleared his throat before saying it sincerely and clearly.

"I apologize. For misjudging you. You've proven time and again that it's not what's in your blood. It's who you are that counts. Promise me when this is over that you'll come back."

Ayame held her head before replying.

"We'll try. Thank you."

* * *

Later, Shiro got an incoming warning signal before he spoke.

"They're here."

Just like that, dozens of fighters, Galra Cruisers, and Zarkon's command center appeared out of thin air.

* * *

Far away, Kaecilius picked up a signal in where the command center is before he turned to Vantiv.

"He's taken the bait. I trust you can assist them along?"

"Just until the time is right."

"Excellent. At this rate, Omegus will be returned by this time tomorrow."

* * *

Back at the Black Lion, Shiro dodged the ion cannons of countless Galra Cruisers as he cut them down, triggering explosions on where the lacerations were made before Zarkon spoke to several cruisers at once.

"Send the fighters! Surround that lion! Draw him in! I want every ship in the fleet after that lion. Get me closer!"

As the fighters followed him, Zarkon's ship began to glow before Shiro spoke to the team.

"I've got Zarkon on the hook. Bringing him your way. Guys, you ready? We've only got one shot at this!"

Keith responded back as he put up activated the device.

"Engaging cloaking device."

After that, the pod took off in quick speed before it was detected by the Black Lion.

"Moving toward the fleet now."

"Roger that. I don't see you, but I'm locked on your signal. I'll clear a path."

Then, Shiro drove the Black Lion toward the fleet while dismantling them to make way for Keith, Ayame, and Sandra before they were able to get there as Ayame thanked her brother.

"Thanks, Takashi."

Then, Keith noticed their speed before bringing it up.

"We're coming in hot!"

As they crashed, they braced for impact before they noticed a few Galra drones and jumped out of the pod before they hacked them to pieces and ran forward with Ayame giving the report.

"We're in."

* * *

At the Castle, Allura got the report before she and Lance spoke to the others.

"The plan is working. Keith, Ayame, and Sandra are on board and Zarkon and Kaecilius' fleets are on the way."

"The Castle of Lion defenses are up and ready to go."

Meanwhile, Belle and Slav were working on the gravity generator around the main engine.

"Starting gravity generator now."

"Commencing cloak."

With that, the entire ship and the teludav turned invisible as the Violet Lion snuck itself on board as well, only it landed perfectly with Lapis, Adea, Thace, Atchiam, and Luzria following the trail of chaos caused by the pod from earlier just as Kaecilius' Cruiser appeared and Vantiv, wearing her helmet, rode on her manual pod toward the opening.

* * *

Inside the ship, Keith, Ayame, and Sandra ran to the door before they went behind a corner to hide themselves from the drones before they walked away. Seeing the opportunity, Keith and the others ran toward the handprint scan before he opened the door with his hand and the three walked in. At the last moment before it closed, Lapis and her group followed suit.

* * *

At the hangar bay, Vantiv entered it in her manual pod before leaping out of it with a smirk as she strolled down to see the Violet Lion. She thought it was the opportunity to tear it to pieces with her new arm, but before it could touch it, the lion activated its barrier, blocking out her dark red and black arm from its touch before she growled and got back to her mission.

"First things first."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, and Sandra got to the corner as did Lapis, Thace, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria before Kolivan spoke to them.

"Okay, you've made it to the lower communication deck. Head left down that corridor."

As they ran down that path, Antok spoke to Keith next.

"Based on the schematics from Thace, there should be a large door up ahead. This is the central hub for the Galra fleet."

"We see it."

* * *

Out in space, Shiro was still distracting Zarkon as he spoke to the team.

"I'm two minutes out. Is everyone ready?"

Kolivan responded to him first.

"No. Keith and the others haven't made it to the hub yet. We need more time."

"How much more?"

Belle joined in on the conversation next.

"Hopefully not much. The gravity generator is dangerously close to running out of gas."

"Well, I don't know how much longer I can hold Zarkon's fleet in this position by myself!"

Just then, Pidge spoke up to him.

"You won't have to!"

In an instant, the Yellow, White, Blue, and Green Lions came out to help Shiro while clearing them of the fighters.

"Good timing. Okay, we've got Zarkon's ship right where it needs to be. We gotta keep it here until that virus is uploaded."

Hunk, Lance, Jenny, and Pidge agreed with the plan.

"Let's do it!"

"All right!"

"No problem, jefe!"

"We got this!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Druids noticed Vantiv walking toward the hub as well as she smirked at the cameras, as if vexing them to go find her as Zarkon barked at the other commanders.

"Flank the Black Lion! Surround him!"

Haggar grew very worried about how close they've come and what it could mean.

"Sire, I fear this could be a trap!"

"Get me more power. I must connect to the Black Lion."

With that, the Druids powered up Zarkon's suit with a stronger surge of Quintessence.

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Lapis and their groups made it into the hub before Ayame spoke.

"Kolivan, we're in. Now what?"

"Now you need to reset the system, using the codes that Thace obtained. It'll be down for a dobosh. That's when we'll upload the virus."

Luzria knew it was right down her alley before she spoke next.

"Copy that."

However, when she tried it, it didn't work.

"It doesn't seem to be working."

Atchiam had an idea about what could've happened.

"They must've changed the code or something."

"Try again."

Just then, Vantiv came to the door before they took off to their own columns as she stepped toward it. As Lapis peeked out, she grew curious.

"What is she doing?"

Kolivan spoke to them, wondering if she'd pulled it off.

"Lapis, Keith, are you there?"

As they just sat and watched, Vantiv was using the codes that Thace obtained before the two Druids spoke to her.

"And now we know you're the one who was in charge of Thace's capture."

As they darted toward her, Vantiv inputted the code and pushed on it before she turned to them.

"You're too late, boys."

"No. You're too late. We already changed the code."

The rapid beeping proved it as Vantiv grew disappointed.

"Well, that's unfortunate."

With that, she thrust her arm towards a Druid before clutching him and absorbing his Quintessence as a purple electrical surge sent around it before he then turned to dust, mortifying the present and hidden company before Vantiv clutched another one with a smirk.

"If you've changed the codes, I'm sure you wouldn't mind telling me what it is."

"I'd rather die than betray Emperor Zarkon."

"Fair enough."

With that, she chucked the Druid to a red wiring before he got zapped out of existence before she drew a breath of annoyance. Then, she felt a familiar presence near her before smiling and speaking to them.

"You know, I've heard so many stories about Voltron. They say it had a cunning leader, that it's strong, that it's clever. It's a shame that they're wrong."

With that, her arm turned into a sword before slicing the columns that hid them, revealing them as they stood shocked.

"It's not your fault, Paladins. You're just not worthy of such power. But I am. And so is Kaecilius. So we will take what is ours."

Keith and Ayame drew their bayards out before they got their luxite blades out as she shouted to her.

"We haven't failed yet!"

* * *

Out in space, the lions were trying to maintain the fleet's position as Lance did a flip to get behind the fighter before shooting it down.

"Yeah! That was close."

However, Hunk was having trouble.

"Somebody! Anybody! A little help here!"

Jenny offered help with that.

"Just lure them to me, Hunk! I'll shoot them down for you!"

As Hunk swerved upward, the fighters followed him before Jenny targeted them before pushing a button that sent spread-shot lasers toward the fighters and destroying them as the fleet was headed outwards of the circle, much to Allura's worry.

"Zarkon's ship is leaving the teludav's area of effect. You must guide it back in."

The lions were trying to manage this while the situation escalated, however, as Lance spoke to Keith.

"This is getting hairy. How you doing, Keith?"

* * *

In the hub, Vantiv was fighting against Adea, Thace, and Lapis while Keith gave him a heads up.

"The Galra switched the codes. And we're trying to hold off Vantiv."

"That crazy chick that was spying on the Blades for Kaecilius is there?!"

"Yeah. I'll explain later."

Shiro then spoke to Keith.

"Copy that."

As Lapis clashed against her, Vantiv shoved her away before Thace connected the wiring to the system, catching Adea's notice.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm using the main power to overload the system."

"But that means—"

Adea figured out what it meant before she spoke.

"Oh, no. You're turning this room into a bomb? Isn't there anything else we can do?"

"It's the only way."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hagar received the news from a Druid that was thought to be zapped out of existence as he was smoking from the electrocution.

"Vantiv has barricaded herself in the central hub. We believe she's trying to shut down the system."

That news was bad enough, but to hear the name of the one who spat in her face about upholding the honor of the Galra Empire made her angry as she stopped the ceremony with Zarkon panting his breath.

"She's working with Kaecilius. It was a trap."

"Get the traitor. I will end this firefight."

* * *

At the Castle's main generator room, Slav and Belle were working double-time to make sure the gravity generator remains in control. However, for all their efforts, the deadline hasn't changed as Slav pointed it out.

"Uh, everyone, the gravity generator won't maintain power much longer. If it goes down, we're just going to be uncloaked in open space."

Shiro spoke to Slav over the communicator.

"Do all you can. We just need to hold out a little longer."

* * *

At the outside of the hub, Haggar shot at the door, breaking it down before those in the room noticed as Vantiv impaled a drone with her arm before turning to Lapis.

"It appears we'll have to call a truce for now."

Then, she noticed the main wiring up above before she used her dark red and black arm to break it apart and cause it to block the door before turning back to her and thwacking her to the Paladins and the Blades.

"Then again, maybe not."

Just as she finished speaking, Ayame managed to smack Vantiv off of the hub before she clutched onto the bottom of the hub with her red and black arm. Ayame turned to Thace after the battle.

"Well, that solves one problem, but now we're trapped."

"No, we're not. There's an exit through the main power conduit. It leads to the second deck."

As Ayame, Lapis, and their groups looked down, Adea looked to Thace in worry.

"Wait. You're asking us to jump? Without you?"

"Yes. Go now."

"And leave without you? I don't think so!"

"You must. I will shut down the system."

Adea was still adamant in bringing him with them as she began to shed tears while banging into his chestplate.

"We can't leave without you, Thace! We just can't!"

Thace brushed Adea's head to comfort her as she sobbed lightly on him.

"Adea, this is where my journey ends, but as a Blade of Marmora, you have a bigger mission. You must understand that."

Adea was still reluctant to let him go.

"No, Thace. No..."

Then, they noticed the droids breaking through before she finally agreed to it.

"Okay. I'll go. It was an honor to meet you..."

With that, everyone jumped off before Vantiv clutched Adea, to the horror of Thace as she held her.

"I thought you weren't supposed to leave children unsupervised."

* * *

At the Castle, the gravity generator finally gave way before it went down and the alarm went off, exposing the Castle and the teludav and earning Slav's panic.

"Oh, I hate it when I'm right about things like this. The gravity generator just lost power! Now, there's no reality where we all get out alive!"

Coran gave the update to Allura.

"Princess, the teludav is completely exposed!"

They turned to each other as they nodded while Shiro grew worried.

"Come on, guys."

At the hub, the drones came in as they began firing, shooting Vantiv's arm and making her let Adea go in the process before Thace jumped in after her before clutching her bridal style and using thrusters on his back to propel himself faster to catch up with the group.

Outside, Pidge and Shiro grew worried as they distracted the fighters.

"What do we do?"

"We can't do anything. If Keith and the others don't get Zarkon's ship shut down, we're done for. It's over."

* * *

As Zarkon and Kaecilius noticed the Castle, the former gave an order to prevent Omegus from rising while the latter turned to Varek.

"Charge the ion cannon! Take it down!"

"Make sure Zarkon doesn't interfere."

"Yes."

* * *

Allura grew desperate in that moment before she made a decision.

"We cannot wait any longer. I'm powering the teludav now!"

With that, Allura went ahead as Zarkon and Kaecilius charged their cannons.

* * *

In the hub, Vantiv was dissecting the drones with malicious force before she caught up to Haggar and clutched her neck before slamming her to the wall.

"How pathetic. But then again, just what I'd expect from an Altean."

Haggar then noticed the generator about to explode before she smirked at her former pupil.

"How shameful. With all my teachings, you never learned to watch your back."

Then, Vantiv turned just in time to see it glow as she gasped before it exploded.

"What?!"

Suddenly, a blinding red light overcame Vantiv as she screamed while Haggar teleported away from her clutches before it could harm her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Ayame, Lapis, Sandra, Thace, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria were traveling down the halls before they heard a rumbling and saw a bright light coming at them with Thace using himself as a shield to save Adea before they got hurtled outside of space, catching the Violet and the Red Lions' attention, causing them to go after the groups.

* * *

In the Castle, Vrathrea gave a report before speaking to Allura.

"The system is down. Uploading the virus now."

* * *

Just when Zarkon's ion cannon was about to fire, it suddenly went down, as did all of the ships, angering Zarkon while urging Kaecilius to update his order.

"NO!"

"Stop, Varek. The plan worked."

Then, his ion cannon went off as well while Keith, Ayame, Lapis, Atchiam, Adea, Luzria, and Sandra noticed this before taking notice of the burns on Thace's left side of his face.

"Thace. He did it."

Adea felt sorry for him as she clutched him.

"Thace..."

Just then, the Red, White, and Violet Lions found them and picked them up as Jenny spoke up.

"You guys need a little pick-me-up?"

* * *

In what was left of the hub, Vantiv was clutching onto the left side of her face, as it was burned from the explosion. However, she regained her smirk before she spoke.

"Again, you think you've won. But it's far from over."

* * *

At the Castle, Allura activated the teludav before Kaecilius and Varek turned to each other.

"It is time."

"Agreed."

* * *

As the teludav went down, Kaecilius and Varek were on top of their Cruiser as they re-enacted their portal changing act with dark red lightning arcs, changing the portal to dark red and black on the inside, catching Coran's worry.

"Wait a tick! That's not supposed to happen!"

Allura, feeling the exertion of her Quintessence and the portal's sudden change, groaned before she passed out, giving control of the portal over to Kaecilius as he chuckled.

"Behold, mortals! The rise of Omegus is nigh!"

Then, Varek hurtled the Chaos Comet into the wormhole in high speed as it streaked a red light.

At the Castle, Vrathrea was beginning to know what was going on.

"He knew. This whole time, he knew our plan. He didn't even stop us..."

Coran then spoke to her trying to reassure her.

"Look, this may not have worked out like we hoped, but we can still stop Zarkon."

"What about Omegus?! How are you going to stop him?!"

"With everything we've got. Everyone, hang on!"

Then, the Castle took off toward the portal and the comet as Coran spoke to the others.

"Hurry, Paladins! We must make it in before the wormhole closes!"

Then, all of the lions took off for the dark wormhole, seeing a spacial area of red dust and sparkles as Shiro checked on her.

"Coran, how's Allura?"

"She's weak, but okay."

"You take care of her. We got it from here."

Suddenly, they got to another area of the wormhole, which consisted of a solar eclipse as well as several debris in the area being pulled into nothingness. Pidge and Slav grew worried.

"Wait, this isn't where we wanted to go is it?"

"I knew it! I knew we were gonna be doomed!"

Then, he remembered the last time he thought he'd be doomed, only to be spared before he immediately changed his tone.

"And I like it when I defy the odds!"

Then, Shiro spoke to the team.

"It's not over yet. Everyone, form Voltron!"

With that, the Paladins formed Voltron while the White and Violet Lions turned into their robot forms and prepared themselves as Omegus' red eyes appeared in the solar eclipse.


	27. Annihilation

**Chapter 26:** Annihilation

At the quantum abyss, the Chaos Comet was hurtling to the solar eclipse as the three Voltrons neared the Cruiser and Zarkon's ship. Shiro then spoke to the team.

"Okay, I know things look bad right now, but we've gotta act fast. The power will only be down for 20 minutes. The Blade of Marmora's schematics showed four targets we need to hit. The weapons systems, the engines, the bridge, and the shield generators."

Then, Zaltron spoke to the Paladins next.

"You'll take care of the engines, weapon systems, and shield generators. I intend to go to the bridge and bring Zarkon to his senses."

Ayame and Lapis, having overheard this, spoke up in support.

"I'll go, too. Besides, I know for a fact that the Galra won't just sit by and let this happen."

"Count me in, Ayame."

Then, Lapis turned to her team, Adea cradling the burned Thace before speaking onward.

"My team has been through enough already. I can't let it go on anymore."

Evidently, her team had enough as Adea set Thace down gently stood up and turned to Lapis.

"We're going in there, Lapis. You have to help them. Thace did all of that effort for us. We won't let it be for nothing, Omegus or not!"

Lapis smiled at Adea's determination before nodding.

"On second thought, my team is all in."

Shiro then formulated a plan to best finish the battle.

"Okay. Jenny, Lapis, you'll drop Ayame and your team off while they rendezvous with Zaltron at the bridge while we deal with the command center."

Then, Jenny spoke up about another matter.

"But what about Omegus?"

"I don't know. But we'll try the best we can. Now, let's put an end to this once and for all."

"Yeah!"

"Form sword!"

Then, as Voltron created a sword, the Violet and White Voltrons darted over to the command center's bay before Jenny dropped off Ayame while Lapis dropped off her team and they all headed for the bridge where unbeknownst to them, Zarkon was ordering his soldiers around.

"I want weapons systems activated immediately! Restart the entire crystal core manually if you have to!"

At the bridge, Zarkon suddenly felt a surge of Omegus overwhelming him before groaning in agony just as the outline of the solar eclipse turned red. As this happened, Omegus spoke to him.

"Destroy Voltron! I command you!"

"N-Never! You will not use me again!"

"I told you when we last spoke that you possess nothing. Because _you_ are nothing!"

Zarkon tried his best to fight back, but against this overwhelming surge and his constant strain from searching for the Black Lion, it eventually proved futile as he gave one more shout, his purple eyes becoming dark red with black on the inside. At the same moment, Voltron cut through the shield generators of the command center before Haggar spoke to him.

"Our ship may be without power, but we are not. I can use the komar to draw the Quintessence directly from Voltron, rendering him lifeless."

Then, Zarkon spoke back to Haggar in Omegus' voice.

"I do not wish for you to drain it. I wish to destroy him myself."

Haggar, surprised as she was by his sudden change in voice, tried to convince Zarkon otherwise.

"No, lord! It is certain death! Your obsession with Voltron is clouding your judgment! You must not go out there!"

Then, "Zarkon" snapped at Haggar with a booming voice.

"SILENCE!"

The voice stunted Haggar, knocking her off of her feet and revealing her face as her hood was torn apart by the sudden force before he spoke onward.

"Your husband is now under my control. The Galra Empire was, is, and always will be under the supremacy of Omegus."

That made Haggar widen her eyes with fear as she came to realize that she'd not been supporting her husband for 10,000 years, but the Lord of Darkness himself.

"No..."

Then, Omegus walked out of the bridge as Haggar looked mortified before she spoke to the Druids.

"Hurry! We need to free our emperor!"

* * *

In the command center, Zaltron entered via manual pod before he spoke to the others.

"I've entered Zarkon's ship. I'm proceeding to the bridge."

* * *

Out in space, Voltron had turned his sword into a sickle while the White Voltron wielded a dual naginata and the Violet Voltron a scythe before he spoke to Jenny and Lapis.

"Hit the engine systems!"

"Right!"

"You got it!"

While Jenny chucked the dual naginata at the left section and Lapis sliced the right one, Voltron slammed the sickle down on the middle as Allura, Coran, Krolia, Kolivan, Vrathrea, and the rest of the council watched.

"We've done it. This is the end of Zarkon's reign."

"Yes, Princess. But what about Omegus?"

* * *

As Voltron continued to hack at the command center, Zaltron noticed a room where the Galra scientists were analyzing the armor before he walked in, catching them by surprise. He then looked to the armor before looking back to the scientists.

"Allow me to wear the armor, gentlemen."

One of the scientists, though he knew he was the enemy, tried to warn him.

"But it has never been successfully tested. To do—"

Then, Zaltron clutched him by the neck before speaking.

"Your emperor is going to be responsible for the universe's extinction! If you want to prevent this, let me wear it."

Zaltron then dropped him to the floor before the scientist finally complied.

"O-Of course."

Inside the armor, Zaltron spoke to the Paladins.

"The plan has been altered. I am taking Zarkon's experimental armor to combat Omegus himself."

* * *

Ayame, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria were running to the bridge as they received the transmission.

"Experimental armor?"

Area pondered about what good it could do against him.

"How is that gonna stop Omegus?"

Ayame turned to Adea before she answered.

"I have a feeling we're gonna see."

* * *

At the bridge, Haggar was at the center of it while surrounded by four more Druids. Knowing full well what the Komar Experiment was meant for, she felt it fitting to use it in order to pay Omegus back.

"Begin the ritual!"

As the druids shot four purple beams at her, creating a circle, Voltron shot at the command center while the Violet Voltron sliced it up with the scythe before they came up on the bridge as Shiro spoke to them.

"Stay focused. We've neutralized the engines. Let's target the bridge."

Just then, they noticed Zarkon's body headed toward the solar eclipse before the black moon suddenly turned red and shone its light on him before it began producing red and purple creatures from it and swarmed around Zarkon as Kaecilius and Varek smirked at this. Jenny saw this and considered it freaky.

"Uh, what's going on, guys? Is he getting eaten by those things?"

Shiro knew what was going on, however, as he began expanding in size as he roared. However, as the creatures themselves were a part of him, they only created a giant red and light pink silhouette of Zarkon, his dark red eyes showing before he then grew dark red and black wings on his back as Lance grew worried.

"What the heck is that? Is he—"

Jenny knew the answer as she finished the question for him.

"Omegus."

However, Shiro received a presence of Zarkon as he felt it fading slowly before he groaned and spoke.

"And Zarkon. He's being controlled."

* * *

At the bridge, Haggar was preparing the Komar Experiment to launch.

"Ready..."

Just then, Ayame, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria ran in to notice Haggar using the Komar Experiment. While Ayame was confused, Adea and her group knew what was happening.

"What is that?"

"Oh, no. Ayame, you have to stop her!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"Zarkon's been working on something that steals the life from other planets! This is it!"

"How do you know that?"

"Because he used it on my home!"

Hearing this, Ayame's widened before she glared at Haggar for stealing the Quintessence from innocent planets that took no part in their war to begin with before she shouted.

"Attack!"

Suddenly, a purple and black lightning bolt shot out seemingly toward Voltron before Allura shouted.

"No!"

However, it just zipped past the three Voltrons before going to Omegus. But when it got to him, it had no effect before he spoke a word.

"Reflect."

Then, the lightning bolt shot back out and collided with Voltron, draining it and its Paladins of their Quintessence as they screamed. At the bridge, Haggar was feeling overwhelmed by the light of the Pure Quintessence as her yellow blank eyes suddenly shifted back to white sclerae with yellow irises and pink pupils.

"It's Pure Quintessence!"

Ayame didn't want to lose her friends so soon as she ran toward her with a shout and halted the Komar Experiment as she then lunged on her, binding her with Haggar as she was in the circle before it disappeared and the Quintessence floated in the air, seeing its beauty all around them before a red light detonated from the solar eclipse, spreading to other neighboring planets and headed toward them. Krolia knew what it was as she shielded Allura and Coran.

"Hang on!"

As the dark red light overcame them, Ayame found herself in a dark red landscape before she heard her own voice speaking to her.

"How long do you think you can keep me here?"

Ayame then turned to see none other than Xaira speaking to her.

"Without me, your friends will be gone. Are you willing to just sit by and let this happen?"

"Of course not! But I'm not going to lose myself to you either."

"You can't choose both, human. Come to think of it, I'm not so sure you even have a choice."

Then, the background suddenly glowed brightly and the scenery changed back to the bridge as she saw Haggar panting for breath as her eye and skin color were now those of a true Altean, confirming what she saw the last time she fought her.

"I knew it. You are an Altean."

Just then, Varek, Kaecilius, and Vantiv teleported to the bridge and spoke to them.

"Now we know the truth."

"How an Altean could be seen with the Galra Empire and not be executed is beyond us."

"But we'll fix that problem soon enough."

* * *

Out in space, Allura and Coran were wondering where that light came from.

"What was that?"

"It didn't do anything."

Krolia had an idea why.

"It's the dark flare. Normally, the abyss' flares would show visions of both past and future. But this... it only enhances those with Dark Quintessence inside them. Or worse... it brings them back from the dead."

Coran was worried about another factor.

"Wait. What about the... Paladins! Can you hear me?"

There was no movement before Babak spoke.

"I thought the virus shut down all of Zarkon's power! What happened?!"

Allura and Kolivan knew the answer.

"That blast was not from the ship's weapons. It was magic."

"It must have been the komar. Zarkon has been trying to develop a device to extract the Quintessence from planets. Adea's home was robbed of Quintessence by this very experiment. We've taken her and her friends under our care ever since."

Coral was still focused on the Paladins' safety at the moment.

"If it destroys planets, what did it do to the Paladins?"

At that moment, the Paladins woke up, barely alive from the extraction process before Jenny spoke to them.

"Whoa, guys. Did anyone get a number on that bus?"

Coran was relieved to know they were alive.

"Oh, thank the ancients!"

Then, Allura spoke to the Paladins about Voltron.

"Is Voltron operational?"

When Jenny tried to pull on it, it didn't budge.

"Nope. It won't budge."

Keith was having the same problem as well.

"I can't move my lion."

Coran related to the Paladins what it was that Omegus reflected back at them.

"You've been hit with some kind of witchcraft that draws the Quintessence out of you. You need to get out of there! Another blast like that and you may not survive!"

Then, Lance noticed a couple of pink lights within the red eclipse.

"Wait. What's that?"

To further prove Krolia's theory, the dark glare produced certain soldiers felled by the Paladins, such as Vaxel and Zarix, whose eyes are now dark red and black. Then, they spoke to the Paladins before Omegus finished their words.

"The past shall consume the future."

"The dead shall consume the living."

"And Chaos shall reign supreme!"

Then, Zaltron spoke against him.

"Not today, Omegus!"

Suddenly, a giant armor the size of Voltron resembling Zarkon emerged from the command center before the Paladins grew surprised as Jenny and Lapis reacted.

"No way."

"Dad, is that you?!"

Then, Allura spoke to the paladins in and out of the command center.

"You must get moving. Remember your training. Remember all the battles you've been through."

Shiro was still having difficulty getting Voltron to move, however.

"Voltron's still not operational."

Jenny, however, was willing to try one more time to bond with her lion.

"Listen, White. We're not gonna go out like that, okay? We're not. We need to stand up and fight. I know I've asked a lot from you, but this is for real. This is what matters!"

Just then, the White Voltron's blue eyes flared back to life as Jenny grew relieved as she smiled.

"Sorry to wake you."

Meanwhile, Zaltron stood guard against Omegus as more red and light pink creatures emerged from the eclipse before he spoke.

"Demon hordes, take flight!"

Then, as Vaxel and Zarix made for the bridge, a cascade of the creatures darted toward Zaltron and Jenny, forcing them to swat the things away as Omegus neared Voltron.

* * *

At the Castle, Allura tried to think of a way to help.

"We must buy them more time. Get us in closer. Divert all power to our weapons system."

Coran though it was extremely risky.

"What? Princess, we'll be defenseless!"

"It's the only way."

* * *

As Zaltron and Jenny were trying to hold back the swarm of creatures, Omegus moved in toward the Violet and original Voltron while the Castle moved in.

"Listen to me. You are true Paladins now. Connect with your lions, reach out to each other! Fight! This cannot end now!"

As the Castle charged up, Omegus closed in for the kill before she shouted.

"Fire!"

As it shot the cannon at Omegus, he noticed this before blocking it with his ethereal wing, catching Jenny's notice as she knew what was going to happen and activated her own particle barrier. She then dashed to the Castle and got in between the blast firing from the Castle and the blast headed towards it before she braced for impact. However, the barrier couldn't withstand the force of a blast coming from behind and in point blank simultaneously as it broke down and pierced through the White Voltron as Jenny shouted in overwhelming pain and agony before it got caught in an explosion, catching the Paladins' worry and fear, Lance's most of all.

"Jenny!"

When the dust settled, the White Voltron remained, but inactive. Within the cockpit, Jenny had sustained a hole through her side, blue quintessence leaking down from the laceration as she slowly closed her eyes while she spoke.

"I'm... I'm sorry, guys. I tried. Lance... I-I want you to know I... I love you..."

The Paladins could hear Jenny's final moans before the silence came back, making Lance shed tears for her.

"Jenny? No. No! Get back up! Do you hear me?! Don't you dare do this to me!"

At the bridge, Ayame heard Lance's panic and began to fear the worst.

"Jenny... no."

As Vaxel and Zarix arrived at the bridge, Varek could take a guess as to what Ayame heard while he smirked.

"It's over. Omegus has you and your paladins set up to fail. Which leaves only one more problem left."

Kaecilius spoke next as he and Vantiv descended to a platform of their own.

"When we're done cleansing this universe of you Paladins, we will eliminate the rest of the mortals as well."

As he smirked, Ayame tensed her hand in anger before Shiro spoke up.

"Everybody, listen. We have to fight. We have to channel all our energy. Visualize five becoming one. We have to focus everything we have into moving Voltron."

As Keith took a deep breath out in space, Ayame took a deep breath as she clutched her bayard in the bridge while Zaltron prepared an energy blade on top of the armor's wrist before Shiro spoke on.

"We are the last thing standing in the way of Zarkon's total universal domination. I'm not giving up that fight! Are you, Hunk?"

"No."

As he answered, the Yellow Lion's eyes flared back to life as did every other Paladin that gave their answer.

"Pidge?"

"Never!"

"Lance?"

"Let's go down swingin'."

"Keith? Sandra?"

"Not a chance."

"We're all in."

"Lapis?"

"Victory or death!"

"Ayame?"

"I'll never give in."

Then, as Ayame's bayard changed to a dual naginata, the chest came online and glowed blue as Omegus forged a sword from his own beastly armor.

"Then let's get Voltron back in this battle."

With that, Voltron came back online before forging his own sword as Omegus spoke.

"Insolent mortals! Prepare to perish!"

He moved in to slash at Voltron, only for him to counter Omegus before he was kicked by the Violet Voltron and was now fighting Zaltron as he performed swift strikes with his wrist blade while Omegus was on the ropes as Lapis charged an ion cannon on the shoulder. When he stuck his blade with Omegus' sword, Zaltron held him in place as the armor nodded to her before Lapis got her bayards ready to be plugged in as she shouted.

"This is for Jenny!"

She then yelled at the top of her lungs as the ion cannon was fired in an extremely glowing purple light which hit him in the back, earning his pained roar before it fully dissipated and allowed Zaltron to toss him away.

* * *

In the bridge, Ayame darted to Vantiv, who lurched her hand at her before she dodged it and severed it, causing the hand to retreat back to normal length before Adea kicked her in the back and made her fall, only to clutch onto a platform and hoist herself up. Then, Adea turned to Haggar and ran over to her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura, Babak, and the Blades, having witnessed Jenny's sacrifice, were still reeling from it.

"Our power levels are decimated. Communicators aren't working. We can't reach Jenny. I'm afraid she can't fight anymore."

"We cannot give up."

Just then, a purple energy blade pierced through the door and created a hole to reveal an angry Belle and the determined Slav.

"Allura's right! My sister just died trying to save us! I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to let my sister be remembered as a little girl who never had a chance!"

"As if there's any reality where that is acceptable!"

Allura then turned to Coran.

"Coran, you and Krul do what you can to get the Castle functioning again. Kolivan, Vrathrea, Krolia, can you get us to the komar?"

"It will be dangerous, but we know the way."

"After what we went through, running away is the last thing that we want to do."

"We won't let her sacrifice be in vain."

"You, Antok, Caxas, and Jareth come with me."

Then they all went to the door as Allura spoke onward.

"We're going to have to attack the witch directly if we hope to stop that thing. Coran, the bridge is yours."

"No! You've been weakened by operating the teludav. You can't face Haggar directly, let alone Vantiv!"

"We don't have a choice."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny opened her eyes to find herself back on Planet X and found Alphus standing in front of her.

"Huh? W-What happened? The last thing I remember was..."

She then gasped in horror at what happened.

"I died!"

"No. Not yet. But you're gravely injured enough for it to happen over the next five minutes."

"I've gotta let them know I'm okay! I have to get back in there!"

"Not yet. If you go back in now, the result will be the same."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Just stay here?!"

"I never recommended that. If you really want to help them, you have to let your natural power flow."

"My natural power?"

Then, she recalled the time she rendered a dozen ships to dust with the wave of her hands and a snap of her finger during the last attack at Zarkon's ship.

"Oh! _That_ natural power! How did I do that, though?"

"You tell me."

"I don't know. I just..."

Then, she realized what she meant.

"Oh, you're saying I did that because I was so determined to stop them from hurting my friends, I didn't even think about myself. But... why didn't it work this time?"

"Because you didn't expect it to."

"Huh? Now how does that make any sense?

"Nothing ever does these days. Just listen to what I have to tell you. It's very important that you know it."

Jenny sighed in defeat as she was in a rush before she spoke.

"Okay. What do I need to know?"

"To secure the future, you must look into the past."

With that, Alphus placed her hand on her forehead before her eyes glowed white as she gasped.

* * *

At the bridge, Allura, Belle, Caxas, Jareth, Kolivan, Krolia, Vrathrea, and Anton arrived before they jumped off of their manual pods and crashed them into a platform that Karcilius stood upon before he landed on the main one in the center. As this happened, Adea spoke to Haggar.

"You never knew, did you? That Zarkon was controlled by Omegus?"

"I... I thought it was the Quintessence giving him power, but no. It was _him_ this whole time..."

Adea could tell that the fact that Zarkon was Omegus' puppet for 10,000 years rattled her but wanted to get her to come to her senses.

"Snap out of it, Haggar! We need your help!"

Haggar would normally rebuff the request of an enemy, but given the situation, she was left with no choice but to consider. However, since the use of the komar was interrupted, it took a great toll on her.

"It's no use. My powers were weakened after the komar was stopped. How could I help?"

As Adea looked around, she noticed the platforms up above and the center platform where he stood before turning to Haggar.

"We need you to teach us the komar. I can spread the message to my team and we'll use it on Omegus."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because... we can't do this without you."

Haggar looked at Adea's desperate yet determined face before she put on a face of surprise and reluctance before she finally agreed.

"Fine. But listen carefully."

* * *

Out in space, Omegus clashed with Voltron and Zaltron, creating bright light throughout the abyss, shattering tons of asteroids into dust in the process before that dust ended up swallowed into nothingness, stretching far until they disappeared before Omegus spoke.

"You cannot defeat me, disciples of Alphus. I have transcended physical being. By my will alone, all upon this universe shall fall into chaos."

As this happened, Shiro grunted as he felt Zarkon slipping away.

"He's forcing Zarkon off of the edge. I can feel it in my mind."

Keith tried to get him focused enough to stop him.

"Fight it, Shiro!"

As Voltron moved to avoid Omegus' swings, Zaltron countered him while slicing upward on his arm, separating the creatures from one another before they ended up sucked up into nothingness, leaving Omegus to create a new arm, at the expense of the quantity of creatures. At that moment, Pidge figured out its weakness.

"That's it! If we can cut through him in two, the creatures supporting him will scatter into the nothingness!"

Shiro spoke next, making sure the plan would work.

"I hope you're right, Pidge. Let's try it."

With that, Voltron turned to Zaltron and Lapis before Shiro spoke to them.

"Zaltron, Lapis, we need to distract him long enough to finish him. Can you manage that?"

Lapis responded to Shiro before Zaltron did.

"We'll hold him as long as we can, Shiro."

"But time is of the essence. Look!"

With that, a dark flare activated as Omegus then became enlarged as his eyes glowed brighter. Hunk thought it was bad news.

"Okay, this is definitely bad."

To make matters worse, it then forged a chain blade before wrapping it around Voltron and electrocuting it, causing the Paladins great harm before they came apart.

"You fools with such limited lives should've known your place from the beginning. None who have ever faced me has ever lived to tell the tale. You are no exception."

Seeing their situation, Keith turned to the Black Lion and tried to reach him.

"Shiro! Shiro!"

There was only a grunt from Shiro before Keith turned to Omegus.

"Something's wrong with Shiro. Guys, we can't let Omegus destroy the Black Lion."

* * *

In the bridge, as Allura and the Blades fought Vaxel and Zarix, the Druids were fighting Kaecilius and Vantiv while Ayame fought Varek, who clashed his energy blade against her naginata repeatedly until they came to a standstill before she spoke.

"I'm going to send you flying off this bridge!"

"Silence, blasphemer!"

Then, he kicked her in the gut before knocking her off the platform and onto the next one before Adea shouted to her.

"Ayame! Make sure everyone is in place!"

"Why? What's the plan?"

"Just trust me!"

Ayame nodded to her before Varek came down to her and she jumped away, barely missing his blade before Atchiam used her machete to clash against Zarix's scythe before she swerved under it and him while she used the momentum to slice below his belly and kicked both halves off of the platform as she looked up to see Antok fighting Vaxel before he ended up shot by Vantiv with a dark red and black blast with a smirk before Varek appeared behind him and impaled him, to the groups' horror as Kolivan shouted.

"Antok!"

As he fell to the floor, Varek smirked at them before Atchiam grew furious and darted toward him as she jumped at him while shouting.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

However, Varek saw this coming before he swiftly turned around and sliced her through. As a result, her arms came off as the rest of her fell to the platform where Adea was, worried about what happened to her.

"Atchiam..."

As Adea cried tears for her, Ayame felt bad for her before hearing Varek's chuckle.

"Finish your goodbye, Blade. They're a waste of time."

Ayame growled at him before he spoke again.

"After all, you're going to be joining her soon."

Suddenly, a dark red flash came over the bridge as Ayame's eyes flashed yellow with tears streaming down her angry face before she spoke with the highest potency of venom.

"What is wrong with you...? How can someone be so broken... to hurt so many innocent people who never asked for any of this... and act like it's something to be proud of...? AND ALL WITH THAT QUIZNAKING SMILE ON YOUR FACE!"

Varek grew weary of her temper before speaking again.

"Don't you see I'm helping you? Soon, you'll be with her and the other creatures you love."

Hearing him mention Jenny that way, let alone call her that proved to be the worst thing he could've done as her skin turned purple in an instant while she began to develop dark purple lightning around her, her teeth gritting as her nails dig into her palms, bleeding out the Dark Quintessence before roaring at the top of her lungs in anger as she caused dark streaks of purple lightning to strike the bridge as her team grew petrified. Varek and Kaecilius were taken aback as well.

"What?"

"This can't be... What is that power?"

"YOU'RE THE CREATURE! YOU TOOK THEM FROM US! YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM EVERYONE! AND FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

With that, Ayane launched dark lightning blasts at the floor as a boost to get to Varek as Adela tried to reach her.

"Ayame, wait! The plan!"

She didn't listen to her pleas as Ayame got ready to strike Varek.

* * *

Out in space, Jenny's eyes suddenly opened as she gasped for air before feeling the pain from her hole and held onto it before she noticed them fighting against Omegus with little to no success before looking to see a dark flash from far away before she knew what to do.

"Hang on, Ayame, everyone. I'm coming."

* * *

With that, Jenny had to leave the White Voltron before using her jet pack to get to the bridge undetected while Ayame fired dark purple blasts of lightning at Varek before he teleported and punched her in the face before she used the momentum to retaliate with a backhand slap from her fist, surprising her opponent.

"I can't believe it!"

Then, she fired a blast at point blank range, knocking him to a platform before he felt his chest burning from the impact. Vantiv took notice of her next before Ayame slammed her fist at her face, particularly where the burn was before knocking her off and sending her to another platform adjacent to Kaecilius, who stood in shock of her power. However, Haggar was impressed with her strength.

"Perhaps I'll need to rethink my standing on Xaira..."

As Ayame appeared in front of Kaecilius, he grew stunned before she fired a blast at point blank range while yelling out as he struggled to hold it back. However, after a moment or so, he succeeded as he chuckled. Then, Kaecilius returned the blast tonite sender with a roar before Allura got in the way, blocking the blast from Kaecilius before generating a pink shield around her, surprising both friend and foe.

"Huh?"

"Allura?"

Kaecilius, however, was incredibly mad, both in anger and in insanity.

"Insolence!"

He fired another volley of his attack, to which this time Allura pushed against it, getting stronger than his blasts as Kaecilius grew weaker from the Quintessence he exerted before he fell to his knees. At that moment, Allura turned to Ayame.

"You must get back to the White Lion and help the Paladins! Jenny would want you to."

"She's right. But that doesn't mean I can't help you guys."

Hearing the familiar voice, they all turned to see Jenny flying into the bridge, her wound shown to have no lasting effect on her before their eyes widened in hope before Belle tried to confirm it and she spoke again.

"Jenny?"

"Miss me?"

"Yes! Of course, I did! I... I'm glad you're okay."

Then, she landed on a platform above Kaecilius before Adea spoke to her.

"Oh, right. Jenny! You have to—"

"Use the komar to extract Omegus' Quintessence. I know. But we'll need a conductor to reach him."

As she looked at Kaecilius' exhausted body, she had an idea.

"And I think I know who might be right for it."

* * *

Out in space, Shiro woke up hearing the voices of the Paladins overlapping voices.

"Keep Omegus away from the Black Lion!"

"Come on! We can't give up!"

"I'm running out of strength, man!"

"Look out!"

Then, Omegus slashed at Lance, knocking him away before Pidge fires a beam at his wing, blocking the vegetation growth. As this went on, Shiro groaned trying to stand up before a bayard switch came up beside him. With that, Keith screamed as he was waylaid by his chain blade before Hunk got swiped by the wing, making Pidge worry.

"Hunk!"

Then, Shiro heard Zarkon's voice before he gasped.

" **Shiro... you are its true Paladin now. Tell my daughter... I am sorry."**

Then, Shiro remembered every experience he went through with the Black Lion before their bond is renewed and it grew tall angel wings on its back before charging at the creature and phased through it, taking the bayard that was meant to be his. After which, Lance asked Shiro what went down.

"Whoa... what did you do?"

Then, Shiro looked at Zarkon's bay are before it went back to a normal bayard.

"I've got Zarkon's bayard."

Keith spoke next on technicality.

"You mean you've got your bayard."

Then, Shiro knew what needed to be done.

"We've only got a few minutes left before power returns to Zarkon's ship. Form Voltron!"

Then, the five Paladins formed together to create Voltron before Omegus turned to see it as he snarled.

* * *

At the bridge, Allura, Ayame, Adea, Jenny, and Luzria got in position as Kaecilius tried to stand up and retaliate, but due to the amount he's used, he couldn't pull it off. He then noticed Allura and Jenny in front of him, glaring at him before the latter spoke with a blue aura around her similar to Allura's.

"Alphus has a message for you, Kaecilius. Never wound what you can't kill."

"Why you little...!"

"Now!"

With that, Adea, Ayame, and Luzria fired their beams at Jenny and Allura before firing them at Kaecilius who began to feel intense pain as he and his outfit have become distorted and was beginning to tear itself apart due to the sheer force of it before Allura spoke.

"You will never destroy another innocent world!"

Kaecilius glared at the Princess despite his position and tried to retaliate.

"A mortal world? Innocent?! Is that a joke?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WORTHLESS BEINGS SPEAK DOWN TO A GOD!"

Then, Allura and Jenny thrusted harder as they shouted, causing Kaecilius great pain as his body began to wither. Vantiv got up after recovering from Ayame's attack and noticed this before she tried to stop them with her ethereal arm, only for Haggar to clutch her arms around her and teleported away before chucking her off of the bridge as a bright blue light emanated from afar. The warmth of that light allowed Vantiv enough time to activate her helmet and call up her manual pod before taking off for Kaecilius' Cruiser.

* * *

At the Castle, Coran, Babak, and Slav got their communications working before they cheered.

"We're back!"

"Thank the ancients!"

"Hello, Paladins!"

Having heard the transmission, Shiro and the others grew relieved.

"Yeah!"

"You're alive!"

"Is everyone okay?"

Then, Slav spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry, guys!"

Lance wasn't quite pleased with Slav.

"Oh, great. Slav made it."

Then, Jenny spoke on the communicator as well.

"Come on. What am I, chopped liver?"

Hearing this, Lance grew excited and relieved.

"Jenny! You're okay! I can't believe it!"

"Me neither. Look, I need you guys to manage something for us."

Shiro tried to find out what the next plan was in order to defeat Omegus as nothing else they tried worked.

"What is it?"

"Do you think you can keep Omegus busy? We're trying to extract his quintessence and then seal it up. That way, Zarkon won't be controlled anymore."

Suddenly, the command center's power went back on as well as the many fighters that remained after most of them were swallowed into nothingness before Coran spoke.

"The power of Zarkon's ship is returning! We need to get out of here! I'm going to get Allura!"

Allura, however, spoke to him.

"Not yet, Coran! We have to do this!"

"But, Princess, you're dangerously close to throwing your life away!"

"I don't care! This has to end now!"

Then, Voltron and Zaltron turned to Omegus as they got ready while the Violet Voltron went after the White one.

"I'm going to get the White Lion back to the Castle and give them a ride back!"

"Alright. This is our last chance! Let's finish this!"

With that, Voltron and Omegus charged at each other with their weapons before Voltron plunged the sword into Omegus' side. However, he retaliated by gripping its head before speaking.

"Your unrefined act of laying your hands upon a god is the worst kind of sin. For that, you will endure eternal suffering!"

Then, he produced electricity, shocking Shiro and the other Paladins before he saw the bayard switch glowing as he used the last of his strength to plunge it in and slice him upwards before those at the bridge saw an opening before Allura and Jenny fired a blue beam through Kaecilius and right at Omegus, causing a bright light to emanate and draining the creatures away from Zarkon as he yelled in pain, the red eyes turning back to purple before the purple faded away into yellow sclerae with red irises while the creatures went toward Kaecilius, causing him to suffer a catastrophic toll.

"No! That's impossible! It can't end this way! I'm an invincible, everlasting god! NOOOOOOO!"

Then, as he shouted, his own Quintessence ended up being drained away in the process while the jar which held the drained Quintessence started filling up. Before long, the creatures around Zarkon were gone before the red coloring around the solar eclipse faded away as Zarkon drifted in space and the jar containing the Quintessence ended up breaking apart and exploding, knocking away Ayame and causing her to hit the wall before falling unconscious as the bridge of the command center began to crumble. In the chaos, Haggar noticed her and held her bridal style before she teleported. All the while, Adea, Allura, Luzria, and Jenny panted their breaths before Kolivan spoke to them with the Violet Lion arriving.

"Come on!"

Then, they took off before Jenny realized that Ayame wasn't on her platform and looked around.

"Ayame! Ayame!"

Adea then spoke to Jenny as she pulled on her arm.

"She's probably taken off already! Let's go!"

* * *

Jenny had no choice before she had to leave the crumbling bridge. At the same moment, Varek picked up Kaecilius as he spoke to him.

"There's no time. We must leave."

"No! Our plan... is in shambles..."

"We can always make others, but we can't start life all over again! We're leaving now!"

Then, Varek teleported away from the bridge with Kaecilius in tow.

* * *

Out in space, Voltron was separated into five lions, recovering from their final battle before Lance and Hunk asked the team.

"Did we do it?"

"Is it over?"

Then, Lapis spoke to the team.

"I picked up the Blades, Allura, and Jenny. But we couldn't find Ayame."

That brought up an issue for Keith before he looked back.

"I'm going back for her."

Then, he noticed that the Black Lion wasn't moving either and grew worried.

"Shiro!"

The other Paladins noticed this too before they huddled around him.

"We need to tow him back onto the ship!"

As they did, they brought him into the hangar bay while Zaltron held Zarkon close until he got there as well before Pidge spoke to Allura.

"Princess, we're all onboard."

* * *

Not long after, Keith and Jenny ran to the Black Lion and tried to see what happened to him.

"Shiro!"

"Shiro?"

To their surprise, they found that Shiro was nowhere to be found inside the Black Lion before Lance spoke.

"He's gone."

Then, Jenny realized who else was missing.

"And Ayame, too. I tried to find her, but... she was gone."

Jenny then hugged Lance tightly, sobbing on him at the thought of her friend being gone before he hugged her back in comfort.

"Well, at least we know she's alive. Maybe Shiro is, too. We're gonna find them, Jenny. I promise you."

Jenny didn't seem to listen as she continued sobbing on him.

* * *

At the command center, Ayame slowly opened her eyes to find herself strapped in a lab table and tried to break free before she noticed a silhouette of a certain witch of Zarkon.

"Haggar? What are you—?"

As an answer, she was injected with Quintessence in the arm before she spoke further.

"You were quite powerful enough to withstand Kaecilius' power, as well as his generals. The Galra Empire needs that strength, especially now more than ever now that Zarkon has... disappeared."

Ayame, feeling the surge of Quintessence swelling up inside her, wanted to fight it long enough to get answers.

"So, you're putting me in charge?"

"No. But... you'll be looking out for someone who will be. Take her to her chambers."

Then, the Druids who confided in her removed the restraints before they carried her away as she came out before speaking to the other Druids.

"Summon Prince Lotor."

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Kaecilius' face was now withered from the komar experiment as he laid on his bed with Vantiv and Varek on his bedside.

"It's almost sad to see what they've turned you into. Next time we meet, I'll see to it that the pay with their lives."

"How did you disgrace yourself against those mortals? We were barely separated. What went wrong?"

"It... it seems many of our assumptions about mortals were badly mistaken. They are much more than just insignificant worms. If we're not careful, our dream of utopia is going to be ruined before it's even begun."

Then, Varek grunted as he looked out at the window overlooking outer space before he spoke. Clearly, not even Omegus could stop them, so they'll have to pull their own weight rather than seek assistance.

"Very well. No more games or half measures. Because these insolent mortals continued to defy and profane us, we will reveal to them the ultimate power of the gods! And none of them will escape it!"


	28. Change of Heart

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long. I was taking care of my RWBY story for last week. To make up for the delay, here is the beginning of Season 3 of Fate of the Defenders, with new characters including Syn who will be voiced by Garrett Hunter and Kurziam who will be portrayed by Amber Lee Connors (the two characters will be the new generals for Lotor alongside Zethrid, Acxa, Narti, and Ezor. Compliments of the house. :)**

 **Chapter 27:** Change of Heart

Out in the quantum abyss, Keith and Jenny were in their lions, searching for any sign of Shiro and Ayame since their last battle, staring fixedly on the scanner.

 _At the command center's bridge, Kaecilius' skin withered as he shouted in agony before the jar containing the mix of Dark Quintessence exploded, knocking Ayame to a wall and causing her to pass out while Voltron performed one last slash as Omegus roared in defeat._

Having found no results, Keith and Jenny sighed in despair.

"There's nothing there, Jenny."

"You mean there's no _one_ here. _"_

Coran spoke to the two solemnly as the lions headed back.

"I'm sorry, both."

Just then, Jenny saw a blue-haired Altean out in space and grew surprised.

"Coran, I stand corrected. Someone _is_ out there!"

With that, the White Lion took off, concerning Keith as she got close to the eclipse.

"Jenny, wait!"

As the White Lion got closer, it opened its jaw and closed them to allow the Altean inside before she spoke.

"I got her. Now let's head back."

Suddenly, a bright yellow light exploded out and engulfed other planets in it as Jenny and Keith looked into it.

* * *

 _Jenny and Keith witnessed a look into the future as they saw a masked girl in an outfit suitable for the Galra as she shook hands with Acxa before it showed Varek transmutating his aura blade into that of a scythe before slashing at the lions with a dark red and black wave, causing the Paladins of Voltron to scream in anguish as Ayame and Varek's voices overlapped._

" _Maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"_

" _YOU WILL DIE TODAY!"_

* * *

After receiving the vision, Jenny and Keith shook their heads before Coran spoke.

"Are you alright? That flash made you see the future, didn't it?"

"Yeah, we're fine."

"Wait. How do you know that?"

"Well, Jenny, if you must know, Krolia gave me a good tidbit about it."

"Huh. Well, anyway, let's go back."

With that, the lions took off for the Castle, with an unknown Altean in tow.

In the Castle, once they landed, Jenny went into the mouth of the White Lion and saw a familiar face. She was the one who has helped her twice now.

"Alphus?"

* * *

Three weeks later, Coran walked into Allura's room to see her sniffing her dress, to which she noticed him and grew surprised as her eyes widened before she explained herself.

"I'm worried it smells a bit musty. It's been awhile since I've had to look presentable."

"The Cubserions just declared independence after a thousand years of oppression, so they probably won't notice."

Babak knew otherwise.

"If that was the case, Coran, she wouldn't be as puffed up as a Trufalian Meringue."

"This is going to be a serious diplomatic meeting."

As he fluffed up the dress, Coran spoke to Allura.

"Remember, Princess, 70 percent of diplomacy is appearance. Then, 29 percent is manners, decorum, formalities, and chit-chat. It's only about one percent, uh—"

Babak finished the last one for him.

"Serious business about fighting for the freedom of the universe?"

"Yes, that. Oh, and I forgot the hors d'oeuvres."

"No, Coran. They're 15 percent of diplomacy. And manners, decorum, formalities, and chit-chat come at 14 percent."

"Oh, yeah. That's it."

Allura then spoke up next.

"We just freed these planets. Do you really think they're ready to come together to fight the Galra?"

Coran knew the answer to that as he considered the feelings of other beings as well as she did.

"I don't think it's a question of wanting to fight back, but of believing that it's possible. It's up to you to give them that faith."

Allura, still overwhelmed with the burden of looking after the wellbeing of the whole universe, felt otherwise.

"It should be Voltron."

"We can't always put the fate of the universe in the hands of a giant weapon. At least, that's what your father believed."

Then, Alphus walked into the room.

"And I believe it, too. But there has to be a time when it isn't enough. The whole universe needs to know this, too."

"But how can we let them know this, Alphus?"

"I don't know. But... I think I know someone who might."

* * *

At Planet Puig, the Blue, Yellow, and White Lions were flying into battle as they were being chased by Galra fighters before the White Lion sent out heat seekers from its back and decimated the fighters before Jenny spoke.

"Got him, guys."

Lance spoke to Jenny next before speaking to Kolivan.

"Thanks, Jenny. About 30 ticks to the drop zone. You ready, Kolivan?"

"Affirmative."

However, Jenny noticed on her radar that there were cannons under the edge of the cliffs before she spoke up.

"Hold on a tick. The cannons are targeting you. I'll take them out for you."

With that, Jenny targeted the cannons under the cliffs before she sent out heat seekers toward them, destroying them and ensuring safe passage before she spoke to them again.

"Okay, you're all clear."

Then, Lance spoke to them.

"Just approaching drop zone. Opening hatch in three... two... one."

Then, as the hatch opened, the light revealed Kolivan, Vrathrea, Lapis, Krolia, Zaltron, Adea, Luzria, Caxas, Jareth, and Atchiam (who now bears two metal arms similar to Shiro and Belle's mechanical arms except the coloring was similar to the Blade of Marmora's attire and with claws) before Kolivan shouted to them.

"Go, go, go!"

Then, the group all jumped out of the hatch before engaging in a brawl against the Galra in a battle-scarred city as Adea slashed through several drones with her scythe before Luzria lightly stabbed a drone. Moments after, those behind it immediately shut down and collapsed as a white mark appeared on it and the other drones. Meanwhile, Atchiam produced a light pink energy blade on the top of the palm similar to her machete with electricity sparking around it before going after a super Galra drone, jumping above it, and slashing downward at it, disabling the machine before it came apart, the electricity sparking around it before the drone exploded. After which, she noticed the towers exploding and saw a smoke trail that led her to see the White Lion before Jenny spoke to her through the radio.

"You guys okay?"

"We're all good down here."

Just then, Atchiam looked up to see the Galra ships retreating before the three lions landed. At the same time, Vrathrea turned to Kolivan.

"What is going on?"

"It appears the Galra forces are evacuating."

Then, Hunk shouted at the retreating Galra.

"Yeah, and stay out!"

* * *

Later, Hunk, Jenny, Lance, and the Blades were getting to know the Puigians, who looked up at the lions in awe. The leader of the Puigians looked over to Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria before they smiled at him as the first of the three waved to him.

"Uh... hi."

Normally, he'd hate give the Galra a glare of suspicion, but due to their age, he just waved back to her, not quite sure what to think about this.

"Hello."

However, Lance was mainly focused on Jenny, as he saw her looking up to the sky, wondering where her best friend had gone. He then walked over to her before speaking to her.

"Hey, Jenny. Still thinking about Ayame?"

"Yeah. It's been driving me nuts since we defeated Zarkon."

Lance then placed his hand in her shoulder, having been told of her vision after finding Alphus.

"Well... wherever she is, I'm sure she'd be proud of you."

"Thanks, Lance. I appreciate it."

Then, Hunk walked over to them, having eaten the Puigian's foods.

"You know, based on our recent battles, it seems like the Galra Empire is kinda just falling apart."

Kolivan, however, knew it was destiny.

"It's more than that. Look."

They found themselves staring at the cave wall, depicting the defeat of Zarkon and Omegus as Lance widened his eyes.

"Whoah!"

"Word of Voltron's triumph is spreading."

Hunk saw the only drawback.

"Yeah, I guess the only problem is that we can't form Voltron anymore."

"That cannot stand. The universe needs Voltron."

Jenny felt differently about the situation after what what had happened to Ayame.

"Does it, though?"

Lance grew confused at this and worried for her before the Puigian leader spoke to them.

"Lions of Voltron, the people of Puig thank you for delivering us from the evil hands of the Galra Empire."

Lance reminded the Puigian leader about the Blade of Marmora's involvement.

"Don't forget the Blade of Marmora. We couldn't have done it without Kolivan and his team."

Lapis spoke to them in respect while Adea spoke up with a smile.

"It was our honor."

"Just doing our job, sir!"

Feeling uplifted by her spirit and positivity unbecoming of any Galra, the Puigian leader and several others sported a look of pride toward them.

"I'm sure you were. I want to pledge to you that every able-bodied Puigian will join Voltron in the fight against the Galra. Speaking of Voltron, where is it?"

Hearing this, the crowd started cheering and then chanting its name, causing Jenny, Hunk, Lance, Adea and the others to grow nervous as Hunk leaned over to Lance discreetly.

"I think this might be a problem."

Then, Alphus spoke to Jenny on the radio giving Jenny relief as she didn't have to deal with the debacle before she got in the White Lion and spoke to her.

"Jenny. This is Alphus. Come in."

"I'm here. What's going on?"

"I need you back at the Castle immediately. There's something important we need to discuss."

As if being relieved of having to explain the concept wasn't enough, she began to believe that Alphus had located Shiro and Ayame as she beamed like a Cheshire Cat.

"On my way!"

With that, the White Lion took off, leaving the other Paladins alone on Planet Puig and stressing out Lance.

"Hey! Jenny! We need your help!"

* * *

Back at the Castle, Pidge was watching the video of Matt's escape received from Beta Traz, eyeing every detail. Just then, Coran came up behind her and spoke.

"Oh, number five, you're back! How was your mission?"

"I talked to some members of the desert tribe on Planet Kythra who have these same large feathered ears. They're not friendly to Zarkon, but they couldn't help me identify the person in the footage. So, that's a dead end. Now, these flappy, loosey, pant-thingies..."

"Are skort pantaloons. Very breathable."

"Right. They're traditionally worn by the Tando people."

"Yes, in the Valurian quadrant."

"Right, that's on the other side of the galaxy. And what's this mask thing that they all have on their faces?"

"Hm, no idea. But it appears to be a perfect blend of fashion and function."

"Okay, so, my brother was either taken by intergalactic fashion pirates, or... maybe the outer reaches of the galaxy are occupied by freedom fighters that are starting to work together against the Galra Empire!"

This made Coran remember a certain part of himself that dinner a blue Baron's outfit around his shoulders with his arms outside of the sleeves.

"You know, I don't mind telling you this, but I was considered a fashion pirate in my day. I used to have a bogwaggle cape that I trained to sing my theme song whenever I entered a room."

As he chuckled, Pidge wasn't quite impressed as she got back to work.

"Maybe this will help. While I was gone, I had the system analyze the sound of the explosion from the prison break."

Then, Pidge played the audio footage of the explosion before Pidge quickly identified it.

"Huh. Nanothermite titanium-boron. Hey, maybe we can track that."

"Good idea. While you do that, I'm going to check in with Jenny, Lance, and Hunk and see how things went on Planet Puig."

He then walked out of the room, leaving Pidge to her work.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny walked in to see Alphus in the main hangar before she smiled at her.

"Hey, Alphus."

"Hello, Jenny."

"So, you said you had something to tell me?"

"Yes, I did. As you know, the Black Lion has been offline since your battle with Omegus."

"And..."

"And soon, they're going to start asking questions. I'm sure you were there for that. But..."

"But you managed to find Shiro and Ayame, right?"

Alphus only showed a look of sadness before Jenny repeated herself more sensitively.

"Right?"

"No. Although I was able to find a fragment of Shiro's Quintessence... Sadly, I couldn't find Ayame's."

"What? Alphus... I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why am I here then?"

"What I really wanted to tell you was... you have to convince them to stand up for themselves."

Jenny widened her eyes in shock before she figured out what it meant to her.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing. You're... you're telling me she's..."

Alphus sensed what she was about to say and cut her off before she could.

"I never said that. She could've turned into... someone else."

"Someone else..."

That made Jenny remember her travel into Ayame's mind and saw her dark side from before.

"You mean she could've turned into Xaira?"

"I'm so sorry, Jenny. I really am."

However, that made Jenny smile before she spoke to her.

"Don't be."

That stunted Alphus before Jenny explained.

"If Xaira's alive, then that means Ayame's alive, too. She has to be. They kinda come as a set, if you remember. Besides, you looked in the whole universe to find them for me. It wouldn't be right for me to at least thank you for trying."

That made Alphus smile before she expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you, Jenny."

"No, Alphus. Thank you."

* * *

At the lounge room, Lance, Jenny, and Hunk were talking with Coran, Pidge, Sandra, Belle, Keith, Allura, and Babak about their adventure in Planet Puig.

"They haven't figured out the flatbread situation yet, but what they do with those centipedes is out of this world."

"And they're totally ready to fight against the Galra."

Pidge grew happy with that.

"Nice!"

"We brought back a few of their leaders while Lapis and her team got Sneren to come over and join the coalition."

Allura was proud to know that it would take place.

"That's splendid, excellent work!"

Lance grew relaxed with the way things are proceeding.

"You know, I gotta say, this is what it's all about. Freein' the people, lovin our ladies, then bombin' down the road again looking for adventure, Voltron style."

That made Hunk remember a drawback to this.

"Which brings up a little issue. They all want to see Voltron, only we really don't have Voltron anymore."

For a while there was silence before Jenny and Keith spoke up.

"We don't have Shiro and Ayame anymore, either."

"Everyone else in this room seems to have forgotten that."

After a moment of silence that followed, Allura spoke.

"It may be difficult for us all to accept, but I think it's time to think about finding a new pilot for the Black Lion."

That stunned the Paladins as they all looked to her in surprise, even Jenny before Keith spoke.

"No! Shiro and Ayame are the two people who never gave up on me. I won't give up on them."

With that, Keith walked out of the lounge room as the group looked to him while Jenny held her head down, understanding where he was coming from.

* * *

At the command center, a masked female Galra with a luxite switchblade with a purple jewel at the center of it was meditating with dark purple mists swirling around her before Haggar came into the room in the form of Honerva before she spoke to her.

"Xaira."

"Yes, 'mother?'"

Understanding the angry tone she took in saying her name, Honerva spoke to her sincerely.

"I want you to know that I hold no grievances against you since your display against Varek and Kaecilius. And... I also apologize for my previous hostility."

Xaira, who bore a sentimental look under her mask, just shrugged it off before speaking back to her.

"Whatever. Apology accepted. Is there anything else you have to say?"

"Yes. That explosion of Dark Quintessence did more than just knock your... counterpart unconscious. The Druids have found that it was also capable of a transmutation previously unknown."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'm afraid so. I shall conduct my search with them until we can confirm the source. Until then, General Zygmar will report to you and update you on the Empire's... imperial matters."

"Understood. And you're sure it's wise to place my weakling of a brother under my care?"

"Lotto isn't as weak as you believe, Xaira. You'll see."

With that, Haggar let herself out before resuming her 'Haggar' guise and turning to a Druid.

"No one other than General Zygmar is to be allowed in Xaira's chamber."

The Druid then bowed down to her before speaking.

"Vrepit Sa."

After he left, Commander Throk walked up to Haggar before he tried to get answers.

"Excuse me?"

"What is it, Commander Throk?"

"Would it be possible to speak to Princess Xaira today? Another planet was lost to rebellion and I feel she must be informed."

"Princess Xaira is fully briefed on all imperial matters. She certainly doesn't need your input."

"Of course. It is just that I fear if we do not take decisive action soon, the Empire will crumble completely, given its vulnerability now that Zarkon has vanished."

As he spoke onward, Throk never realized that a dark figure in a black and red cloak was seeing their conversation.

"Rebel activity should be crushed with our full might before more planets are inspired to fight against us, whether it be with Voltron or the Drule Empire."

Then, Haggar reminded Throk of the one currently in charge.

"She is very well aware of that. Which is why Prince Lotor has arrived at headquarters at Xaira's request to take command of the Empire. Under her guidance, of course."

Throk grew confused at the situation and felt it odd.

"Lotor? Why is he not looking after his sister? I'm sure she's been through a lot since she was... sent away."

Haggar spoke back to him.

"Xaira needs no one to look after her, least of all you."

As she walked away, Throk growled at her before the figure smiled and vanished in a dark mist. Soon after, a chameleon-like Galra appeared out of thin air sporting a look of confusion and wonder.

"Who was that guy?"

* * *

At the Castle, Allura, Babak, Alphus, the Blade of Marmora, and the Paladins were at the table with multiple aliens and Sneren seated across from them.

"It is our honor to have you all here together."

The Puigian leader expressed his delighted surprise to the Princess.

"I had the biggest bunker back on Puig, but it wasn't nearly this nice."

"Well, I spent the last decade in a spiny thistle thicket. You look wonderful though, Princess. I'm glad I put on my best tarp."

Then, the purple alien spoke to Alphus.

"And I'm glad you have returned as well. The universe couldn't thank you enough for what you've done for us before."

As Allura and Alphus smiled at the their words, Hunk arrived in an apron and with a tray of Earth food.

"Welcome, everyone. Welcome. I've prepared a few Earth canapés for our guests to enjoy while we talk galactic diplomacy."

After which, Sneren took the opportunity to speak to them.

"The Blade of Marmora has gathered this intelligence."

With that, Sneren showed half of the universe in purple light with the other half glowing dark red before he spoke on.

"As you can see, the Galra Empire is still the most massive ruling force this universe has ever seen. And to make matters worse, since Zarkon's defeat, there's also a new Empire following the leadership of Kaecilius known as the Drule Empire. Even if they aren't at each other's throats, the sheer size of both of them together is almost incomprehensible. It seems like it could rule for another 10,000 years."

That had one of the alien diplomats shuddering in fear as Lance turned to Jenny.

"Not the way I would have started this pep talk, but okay."

"However, we are also beginning to see rebel activity spreading throughout both sides of the Empires."

To illustrate this, a good ton of planets glowed blue, forging a red, blue, and violet coring in the room as the aliens looked up in awe before Alphus spoke.

"We have a strategy to bring these forces together, free more planets, grow our numbers, and accumulate an army that can defeat the Galra and the Drules in major battles. But without your help, it'll be impossible."

The purple alien and the Puigian leader were reminded at that point about a certain warrior that vanquished Zarkon.

"The forces will all fight behind Voltron, right?"

"Yes, where is Voltron?"

Allura grew nervous before she pointed out the Paladins across from them as Hunk was eating his food while waving, Keith and Sandra were gazing at them in an emo state, Pidge moved her glasses up and down, Belle did a salute sign toward them, Lance did a grin at them that usually attracted the ladies, and Jenny simply smiled at them.

"Th-the people you see before you are the Paladins of Voltron. Together, they pilot the mighty lions that form the great warrior."

"Uh... hi?"

"Excellent! Can they form Voltron now?"

"Uh, well..."

However, Keith wasn't willing to let this go by with everyone seemingly not caring about Shiro or Ayame.

"We can't form Voltron, okay?! We can fly the lions, but Voltron is not happening."

The aliens gasped before Jenny tried to point out a certain factor with the White and Violet Lions.

"But..."

"But nothing. Shiro and Ayame are gone. He was the Black Lion and, Jenny, she was your best friend. I'm surprised that you would even let her slip away."

"Keith..."

As Jenny tried to stand up, Keith barked at her.

"Sit down! Until we find them, there is no Voltron!"

Jenny gave him a stank face before replying.

"Thanks, Keith. Way to keep it discreet."

Then, Kolivan stood up next as he spoke to the dignitaries and motioned to Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria.

"The lions, two of which are able to enter their own Voltron state, are a substantial fighting force. And this Castle is also a considerable weapon. The Blade of Marmora can lead you."

"Hi."

The purple alien, though met with Adea's innocent smile, wasn't convinced.

"My people have been enslaved for centuries by soldiers who look exactly like them."

Luzria immediately took offense to that.

"You think we're proud of that? Our homes were taken away by the Galra Empire just as easily as yours was. Except we didn't have to rely on Voltron until we needed him."

The Puigian leader felt his point was made clear.

"Exactly! Our people heard the legend of Voltron, how he defeated Zarkon, how he defeated Omegus. That is what gave them hope. What are we supposed to tell them now?"

As Keith tensed, Jenny slammed her fist down on the table, getting everyone's attention before she spoke rashly.

"With all due respect, sir, you're being completely ridiculous asking the question you already know the answer to. Tell them to stand up and fight for themselves."

Then, Jenny stood up before she spoke onward.

"Don't get us wrong; we'll help you. But we— Voltron can't always be there to protect you when you need him, any more than we could be there for our friends. Zarkon wasn't the only loss the battle caused. We lost two of our best friends to this war that we were fighting for _you_ , and after everything that's happened, you're still expecting more from us."

As she tried to speak onward, Jenny began to shed tears, thinking about how Ayame was always there for her since she found her.

"Every day since then... I wake up thinking about how unfair it was that I'm still here..."

The Puigian leader felt sorry for Jenny as he tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. We didn't realize—"

Then, Jenny spoke up again more determined than saddened, though her tears remained.

"But did I give in? No. I decided to stand up and fight. If I can do that after losing the people I cared about, then you can stand up and fight for your own people just as easily. Voltron will stand by you, but he can't fight _all_ of your battles. You need to fight back and prove you're not to be pushed around. Because if you can't... then what's the point of any of our lives?"

Then, Jenny turned to Keith and glared at him.

"And as for you, Keith, I'm surprised you'd think that after everything she did for me, you'd really think I'd let her slip away. If anything, _you're_ the one who never bothered to go in after her. Some friend you turned out to be."

With that, Jenny walked out of the kitchen and through the door as Keith looked at her in shock over how she snapped at him calmly while Lance was displaying tears over such an emotional preach of hers.

"That... was heavy."

Then, Hunk laughed nervously before he got out another tray with two Earth foods.

"Pizza roll? Pig in a blanket?"

The Puigian leader made his selection first.

"I'll have a pizza roll."

* * *

At the gladiator arena, a masked figure was fighting a giant as Throk spoke to the General with hooks for hands known as Zygmar.

"I tried to speak with Princess Xaira today, but the witch stopped me again."

Zygmar was beginning to have doubts.

"I fear her condition is worse than she is telling us."

"Agreed. And now Prince Lotor is taking over? We fought by Zarkon's side forever, and we are passed over by this exiled brat? Why couldn't he have chosen Xaira as his heir?"

"Don't forget, she was presumed dead after birth shortly. By everyone. Xaira aside, I've heard rumors that he fights along his enlisted men like a lowly private."

"Worse than that, his top generals aren't even pure Galra. They're all half-breeds at best. I understand Xaira's case, given that she was of Zarkon's blood, but at least she didn't have Altean blood. He has no honor."

"Some say he allows the planets he conquers to rule themselves. Can you imagine? It's basically luring the Drule Empire to catch the bait when we're so unprepared."

"Clearly, he is a dangerous lunatic, not unlike that Kaecilius. I've already spoken with the other officers in my sector. They've all agreed to back me if I fight for the throne. Normally, I'd never think of such a thing, but..."

Zygmar then began to consider how Xaira truly felt about Lotor as he had a flashback of him walking to her moments before the gladiator match began.

" _Princess, Lotor has just taken his position as Emperor of the Galra Empire."_

" _Is that a fact? How disappointing that the weakling is the one who gets the throne..."_

"What choice do we have?"

"Then you'll support me?"

"Yes."

Throk smiled at his acceptance before a black and red-cloaked figure appeared in the shadows of the arena and watched the battle as Zygmar went on to speak of the figure.

"Who's this little fellow?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him before."

As they fought, the "little fellow" jumped over the colossus before he struck the countering beast, causing the sword to land far away in the ground blade first before the beast fell and the crowd cheered. After the match, the crowd cheered before the victor removes his helmet to reveal white hair and a lavender face with blue eyes within the yellow sclerae, earning Throk's shock and horror present in his face.

"Lotor!"

Then, Lotor held his sword up and pointed it to the potential insurgent.

"Throk. You wish to challenge me? Then come down and claim your crown."

That earned gasps and whispers from the crowd before he spoke onward.

"True Galra do not take the throne by stirring up insurrection in darkened chambers. They rise through honorable rite of combat. Defeat me here, and the throne is yours."

The whole crowd began to cheer before six people removed their black coats and revealed a general with dark red hair under her ears and a scar downward her right eye christened Zethrid, the same chameleon-like Galra that snooped on Throk given the name of Ezor, a faceless Galra with a snarling cat on her shoulder known as Narti, a Galra with spiky violet hair, two black spikes along his hair, and a scar on his left eye known as Syn, a Galra with short purple hair and blue irises known as Kurziam, and Acxa, who was saved by Keith and Ayame before. Throk was forced to stand up and give Lotor his answer as he stood up.

"I accept your challenge. Now all will see who is the rightful leader."

As the battle started, the cloaked figure is joined by Vantiv and Varek as they walked up to him before the former spoke first.

"Did we miss anything?"

Vantiv then saw for herself that it was just getting started as Throk spoke to him.

"I have fought thousands of battles and left many enemies more fearsome than you wasting on the battlefield."

"I'll take that as a no."

Then, Throk roared as he began to attack Lotor, who swiftly countered his blade before Throk repeated his thrusts, only to be knocked away before the Prince spoke to him.

"You have flawless technique, that I'll grant you. Still, you must realize at some point that your repetitive attacks are getting you nowhere."

Throk only retaliated as his anger built up, initiating in the clash's continuation before he got hit in the chest with Lotor's elbow before he used the momentum to slice his sword in two and point it at his throat once he'd fallen.

"Your tactics are stale. And in the end, your own aggression is your undoing."

Then, as the crowd chanted his name, Throk prepares for the end as his eyes closed. However, to his surprise, Lotor only moved the sword away from him before he spoke to the people.

"My father built our empire in the bones of his enemies. But the time has come to change the old ways and inspire not fear from those we rule but loyalty. We must not waste our energy fighting to keep our subjects down but rather multiply by allowing the worthy to rise and join our ranks."

Then, Lotor held his hand out to Throk as he spoke on.

"The universe can no longer doubt our strength. Each ally gained only makes us stronger. While those who continue to stand against us... will be crushed."

As Throk took his hand and lifted himself up, he paid his respects.

"Lotor, we pledge our loyalty to you. Vrepit Sa."

Then, the whole crowd did the same, leaving only Zygmar to sit at the chairs before he decided to stand up and place his hook on his chest before they chanted his name once more. Vantiv and Varek, however, weren't pleased as they and the cloaked figure left. Not long after, Lotor went in a room where his generals waited.

"That went well."

Syn spoke to the chameleon.

"Of course, Ezor. What did you expect?"

"The masses are easily manipulated."

Kurziam then spoke to Lotor.

"What should we do with him?"

"Have Throk transferred out to the Ulippa system immediately. Let him rot with the ice worms."

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, Vantiv and Varek shared their thoughts about Lotor.

"Well, now we know who the son of Zarkon really is."

"It's the Altean in him. No doubt a dangerous combination."

Then, the cloaked figure spoke as he removed the cloak to reveal a withered Kaecilius.

"Just look at him. So sleek, so powerful, so... beautiful. Like some great golden god made flesh. Of course, any sensible god would demand absolute obedience in return for his favor, but no. Our Emperor Pro Tem leads them and keeps them with no strings attached. And the people... Hmph. They practically worship him anyway. Enjoy your reign while you may, Prince Lotor. For I know better than anyone that as surely as night follows day, there comes a time when even gods must die."

In a Galra Cruiser, Shiro woke up on a table with longer hair as he began to see visions of his past, as illustrated by a Galra scientist fading before him as he tried to get up, only to fall before he got back up, still feeling dazed. He stopped for a moment before receiving another vision as he saw himself being injected and placed in a canister. After receiving that vision, he panted heavily before he turned to see the drones firing at him and tried to escape as he used his arm to cut through them and punch one to the wall before his headache returned. After which, he was forced to fight more stones as he escaped in a pod. However, that same pod was shot as he headed to a giant ice crystal in the Ulippa system.

"Come on! Come on!"

Just then, Kaecilius, Vantiv, and Varek turned to see Shiro escaping before he spoke again.

"It seems that Operation: Kuron has entered its third phase. What perfect timing..."

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny was staring at the Black Lion as she remembered her time with Ayame. Just then, Keith entered before he tried to speak to her.

"Hey, Jenny."

Jenny replied back emotionlessly.

"Hey."

Keith sat down beside her as he spoke to her.

"Listen. I'm sorry about what I said to you. I know you did all you could. I didn't have any right to doubt you, and I'm sorry."

Then, Jenny spoke up to Keith with a chuckle.

"Funny. She said the same thing to me. This one time when we first met, I decorated her entire room when she was going through her stages of grief. She called me an ignorant, little brat. I never understood why. I just thought she was moody. But, when she apologized to me, she told me she acted that way because she lost someone close to her. We've gotten along well since then. And now, I know better than anyone what that's like. So... I'm the one who should be sorry for saying that stuff to you, too. I just... I miss her, so much."

"Me, too. And Shiro."

Just then, the other Paladins walked in before Lance spoke.

"Hey, guys... listen. We all miss them. I remember what a thrill it was just to meet him for the first time when the two of us carried him out of that Garrison hospital."

Pidge and Hunk spoke up to them next.

"I grew up with my dad and Matt telling me stories about him. He was a legend at our house."

"The guy taught me everything I know about being a pilot. Which isn't much, but that's more on me."

Belle and Sandra spoke up next.

"Shiro was more than a partner to me. He was... he's the one I loved. There I said it. If only I told him before now..."

"Shiro helped me become better than I was back at the Garrison. If it wasn't for Hunk, that wouldn't have been possible."

Then, Hunk blushed before sheepishly laughing.

"Ah, thank you, Sandy."

Then, Lance spoke to them again.

"You're not the only one hurting, guys. We're all right there with you. But you know that he would be the first person to tell us to move on."

Jenny and Keith looked to him in a steady gaze before Allura spoke up.

"Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. But our mission is bigger than any one individual, even those who are completely irreplaceable."

Keith then spoke to Allura as they all looked to the Black Lion.

"I know you're right. It's time to figure out how to reform Voltron."

Then, Alphus arrived and spoke to them.

"And if you can't, I know where to start."

Jenny and the others looked to her before she asked her.

"How?"

"I told you before that I found a fragment of Shiro's Quintessence. It's in the Black Lion."


	29. A New Order

**A/N: Hi. Sorry I'm taking so long. I'm also doing a story for Dragon Ball Super. It's hard to focus on two stories at once. So the next time you're wondering how long I'm taking, please be patient with me on this. Anyway, here's the new chapter. This time, Narti's voice will be heard (telepathically) and be voiced by Elise Baughman. Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 28:** A New Order

On Planet Puig, the Blade of Marmora were helping the Puigians ready themselves for the Galra's imminent attack. However, it wasn't without hardship. Despite Jenny's speech at the Castle of Lions, Sneren and the Puigian leader didn't quite see eye-to-eye. In fact, the only Galra that he's comfortable with were Lapis and the rest of the Rogue Thrust. Other than the occasional dispute, everything else was in order as they both took Jenny's speech to heart. As such, they worked harder than ever to repair the damage left over from their liberation while two children ran down the street laughing as they passed a depiction of Voltron in the city walls. As Adea and Luzria were lifting a giant boulder with a few Puigians, Atchiam, Lapis, and Slav were talking about her synthetic arms.

"So, how are those arms working for you so far, Atchiam? They gotta feel strange, right?"

"Honestly, I'm kinda surprised. I thought they'd be huge weights, but they feel... natural. You really did a great job with those things, Slav."

"Well, they weren't easy, but when it comes to improving the odds up to 300%, I pay attention to every detail."

With that, Lapis and Atchiam laughed at Slav's usual rant about probability before Atchiam spoke to Lapis again.

"Anyway, they're a step up from what I went through before. In fact, Jenny might've helped with that."

"Really? I heard about what happened. How did she help?"

"Well, until what happened at the Castle, I felt like... like I lost a part of me, two if you're talking numbers. I felt like they're never coming back. But Jenny... she knew better than anyone what that's like and she continued to fight for the universe despite it. So, in a way, I'm glad she interrupted when she did. Because she told me what I needed to hear. What we all needed to hear. That, and things were getting kinda awkward."

"I'll bet."

Then, as they finished their conversation, Adea, Luzria, and the Puigians has finished moving the boulder as they all panted before Lapis tried to check on them, only for Adea to hold her hand up to her before she got her breath. Then, she smiled at her before speaking.

"Ta-da! We've got the boulder out of the way!"

Suddenly, a piece of it fell and landed near her, causing Adea to spring up like a cat and land in Lapis' arms before she looked in her eyes and got embarrassed. Then, she noticed something in the sky and pointed it out.

"Hey, what's that?"

Lapis and the others noticed what Adea was pointing at and noticed a Galra ship preparing to land, but it wasn't the craft from the Blade of Marmora. This could mean only one thing.

"An invasion? So soon?"

Then, Lapis inadvertently dropped Adea as the latter yelped before she shouted to a Puigian.

"Everyone to battle formations! Pass it on!"

The Puigian then spoke to the others passing the message along.

"We're under attack! To battle stations!"

With that, the Puigians and the Blade of Marmora hid in the buildings and rooftops. At the ship, Acxa and the others looked over the area that seemed abandoned before they jumped off and skydived to the ground before landing in the settlement. With that, Acxa turned to Syn and Kurziam.

"Syn, Kurziam, find the leader, Ezor, Zethrid, take prisoners. Kill no one. Narti, you're with me."

After they all took off in separate directions, Acxa and Narti found themselves under fire from the Puigians before she darted toward them and evaded their blasters as they planted spikes on the floor before pushing a button on her gauntlet that activated a barrier. Far away, Ezor made herself invisible to sneak on the rooftops and took the attackers by surprise before reappearing with a smirk. At ground level, Zethrid captured another group with her net gun before another Puigian attempted to trample her with a mammoth-like creature, only for her to grab its hooves and shove it away.

At the city capitol, the Puigian leader ran to the communicator only to be stopped as a dark, glowing, purple arrow landed in between his hand and the device. The leader turned to see Kurziam with her wrist gauntlets out before Syn kicked him away and held him in place with his sword by his throat and a smirk on his face. What none of them noticed was that Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria were hiding by the pillars as Lotor and the other generals walked in.

"Who—? Who are you?"

Acxa spoke to the leader as Adea leaned in to get a good look at the intruders.

"You dare speak to Prince Lotor?"

Adea widened her eyes and gasped in shock as she heard Acxa's words before Lotor and the leader spoke onward.

"Now Acxa, that's no way to treat our new ally. Let him continue."

"We will not be enslaved again. We are free."

"According to whom? Your savior, Voltron? And where is your precious protector now? Gone. Leaving you with nothing but a hollow promise of freedom. And now you must answer for what you've done."

Taking Jenny's words to heart, the leader still spoke defiantly.

"I told you. We are free. And we don't need Voltron to make it so."

Lotor only smirked at his defiance.

"Is that so? You and what army?"

Then, as an answer, Adea sneezed like a kitten far away before they all looked to the source of the noise, Syn being the first to speak of it.

"What was that?"

Then, with their cover blown, Lapis took out a grenade before chucking it to them. Moments after, it exploded, blinding Lotor and his generals before the Rogue Thrust moved in and took the leader away. After it wore off, Lotor realized what it was that caught them by surprise.

"A flash grenade. Impressive. It seems the Puigian was true to his word. Even so, I'm certain he's not in this alone."

Then, Lotor turned to Kurziam before he spoke.

"Syn, Kurziam, track down the leader and his subordinates."

"Yes, Lotor."

* * *

At the Castle, Lance, Jenny, Keith, and the other Paladins were still shocked over what Alphus said.

"What?! Shiro's Quintessence is in the Black Lion?!"

"Why didn't you say anything before?! Better yet, why didn't I ask you?!"

"We could've used it to look for Shiro!"

Bombarded with questions, Alphus explained herself.

"First off, I was as shocked as you when I found that out _just today_."

Jenny caught onto that tone and knew that Alphus found that out earlier today before calling her.

"Oh. Sorry."

"And secondly, it's only a part of it. Not necessarily enough to locate the rest of it, but that's what we're left with."

Keith was afraid of what it meant.

"So you're saying... we're stuck at square one?"

"For now. Until we find out who else will pilot the Black Lion."

Lance sighed at the news Alphus had to give before he spoke.

"I wish Shiro were here to tell us how to go on without him."

Then, Pidge and Hunk turned to Allura, trying to figure out how she'd chosen them.

"Allura, when we came here, you told me I would fly the Green Lion, and I thought there was no way. But I found it, and I flew it. And then Hunk flew the Yellow Lion and he wasn't even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which lion."

"Yeah, how'd you do that? Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?"

Allura, sadly, gave her answer.

"Sadly, no. When you arrived at the Castle, I immediately recognized the special qualities in each of you. But I don't know how to search the entire universe for a new Paladin."

Then, the crowd turned to Keith before Jenny spoke.

"Hey, Keith. You had to pilot the Black Lion to save Shiro and Ayame, right? Maybe you're the new pilot?"

Lance, still on a heated rivalry, spoke against that.

"Keith would be the worst leader of Voltron."

Pidge backed up Lance's suggestion.

"Yeah, we all have our thing. Keith's the loner, Sandra's the risk-taker, and I'm the brain. Belle's the serious one, Hunk's the nice guy, and Jenny's the glass half-full type. Allura's the decision maker, Coran's the wise old guy, and Babak's the drill sergeant."

"Naturally."

"Lapis is a do-or-die team player, Alphus is the veteran, and Lance is the goofball."

"Mm-Hmm. Yeah, exactly. Totally right— Wait a minute."

That made Jenny giggle before he spoke up offendedly.

"I'm not a goofball! I'm like the cool ninja sharpshooter."

That made Keith scoff with a smile.

"Are you joking?"

"I'm being completely serious when I say I do not want _you_ to lead me anywhere."

"I don't want to be the leader! That's just what Shiro wanted!"

That made Keith widen his eyes in shock over realizing what he'd said before holding his head down as Jenny spoke.

"Uh, can you repeat that?"

"Nothing."

Pidge, however, figured out what Keith said.

"Shiro wanted you to be his successor, didn't he?"

Keith remained silent at this before Lance spoke up, suspicious of this.

"Well, I never heard Shiro say that, and how convenient you're bringing it up now when Shiro's gone."

Keith stood up from the wall before he angrily spoke to him.

"You want the job so badly? You can have it!"

Then, Hunk and Pidge tried to vie for the rank.

"Now, now, hang on, I've called the head from the very beginning."

"What about me? Im the one who picked up on the radio waves that led us to Voltron in the first place!"

Hearing their squabble, Alphus was reminded of the time when Alfor was talked down to by Zarkon as she tensed.

" _I'm the head of_ _Voltron_ _! You can't hold us back because of your fear!"_

That was too much for her to handle as she began shouting at them.

"ENOUGH!"

The Paladins all looked to see Alphus trembling before they grew worried for her, Jenny most of all, and for good reason as she angrily glared at the stunned Paladins before she spoke to them.

"If you think that's how a Paladin is supposed to behave, then you're no better than Zarkon..."

"Alphus. Are you okay?"

Then, Alphus took a deep breath as Jenny held her hand to give her comfort. Ever since she was found, she's still recovering from Zarkon's betrayal. The fact that they had Zarkon's body in a pod didn't help. So, whenever Alphus was reminded of such a terrible event, Jenny would be there to comfort her until she felt better. It was at this point that she spoke to them.

"I'm sorry. I'm still recovering. Besides, it's not your decision to make. The Lion has to decide."

Then, Allura spoke up in support of Alphus.

"Alphus is right. We must _all_ present ourselves to the Black Lion, to see who will bear this glorious burden."

Coran felt worried about that, concerning Allura.

"What? You, Princess?"

"My father and Alphus created Voltron. How can I allow others to risk their lives in battle and not be prepared to do so myself. I must try."

* * *

Later, at the Black Lion's hangar, Alphus gave the Paladins an idea to see who is worthy of it.

"Like I said, it has a fragment of Shiro's Quintessence inside it. It'll most likely activate when someone has a deep connection to its last Paladin."

Then, Hunk and Pidge tried to find out how to go about it.

"So, who goes first?"

"Should we draw straws?"

Coran, however, already came up with the order.

"I have it! I'm thinking of a number between one and 50."

Then, he snapped his fingers before he spoke up.

"Allura, you go first, Pidge is second, and then the others."

Jenny grew confused at his way of thinking as her face blanched.

"Uh, aren't you supposed to let us guess?"

"But I already know the number."

Jenny hugged before she spoke.

"We need to have a talk. You can go ahead, Allura."

In the Black Lion, Allura sat in the cockpit and took a deep breath as she tried to connect with it. However, it was to no avail as she pondered to herself.

"Hmm..."

Up next, Pidge say in it and found herself to be shorter than the cockpit itself.

"Mm... I wonder if I can adjust the seat."

Eventually, she succeeded as she placed her helmet under her to act as a booster seat.

"All right! Now _I'll_ form the head."

However, as Pidge leaned for the levers she failed to grab them due to her short arms before she gave up and groaned.

Then, Hunk got the chance to try it next, but wasn't quite so interested as he just got up and walked out.

"Nope. Not it."

As Alphus and Coran saw him walk out, the former spoke to Hunk.

"What are you doing? Did you even try?"

"Yes, I did. I sat down."

"Hunk..."

Feeling her icy glare, Hunk slowly turned his eye toward her before he answered honestly.

"I don't want to leave the Yellow Lion, okay? I mean, it's big, it's got this super armor, it's safe."

"Didn't you call the head from the beginning?"

"Yeah, I know. I wanted to form the head with the Yellow Lion."

"Hunk, the Black Lion always forms the head."

"Always?"

"Always."

"Fine."

Then, Hunk gave it another try, this tine acting like a captain.

"Pidge, go right! Lance, go left! Keith, make me a sandwich, stat! Yes, you heard me. I'm the leader now, dang it!"

Outside, Sandra giggled at Hunk's level of "seriousness" before Alphus saw all she needed to see.

"Okay, you're not the one. Out of the lion, please."

Sandra gave it a try next, as she tried to engage in a conversation with it.

"Look, Black, we've actually got a lot in common. I mean, you already know Zarkon. He was Galra. And I'm Galra. But, I'm a good person. So... do I get the job?"

As an answer, Sandra received silence before she huffed.

"Whatever. Not like I needed the job anyway."

Next, Belle entered the cockpit and reflected back on how Shiro showed her the controls and tried to do as Shiro would usually turn it on. When she tried to get it working, Belle just couldn't find the strength to pull the levers.

"I'm sorry, Shiro. I just... I can't. I can't take this from you."

Then, Jenny sat in the cockpit trying to get the feel of it as she placed her hands on the levers. Then, she took a look at her surroundings and had a thought that slowly made her sad as she started speaking.

"If Ayame were here, I think this would be a great fit for her. After all, she... she was always there for us. It just makes sense. Plus, the colors in here are so like her."

Then, she remembered that Ayame wasn't here and felt herself hurting a bit before speaking again.

"Okay, I'm out of here. I can't cry in this thing. Whoever comes in here next would kill me."

After Jenny's near-breakdown, Lance stepped up to try next as he took his deep breath.

"Okay, you can do it. This is your moment."

Outside, the group waited for Lance as Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny spoke up.

"So, how long are we gonna let Lance sit in there?"

"Yeah, it's been, like, half a varga."

"I hope he's doing okay."

Later, Lance gave up and got frustrated.

"It's useless! The Black Lion hates all of us!"

Then, Belle turned to Keith.

"Not all of us. Shiro trusted you of all people the most, Keith. Maybe you'll have better luck."

Keith got the hint of what Belle suggested and tried to protest, but couldn't and found himself in the cockpit.

"I know you wanted this for me, Shiro. But I'm not you. I can't lead them like you."

Then, to his surprise and shock, the Black Lion activated itself. Keith knew what it meant and didn't want it to come to that.

"Please, no."

However, his plea was unanswered as the Black Lion got up from the ground and roared before opening its jaw and revealed Keith. As the half of the group (Sandra, Jenny, Pidge, and Hunk) smiled at him, the rest (Allura, Alphus, Belle, and Lance) appear to show blank faces before Lance frowned a bit as Keith walked down. Once he got to them, Allura, Jenny, Pidge, Belle, and Hunk spoke up.

"I'm proud of you, Keith. I wish you were getting the job under better circumstances, but congratulations."

"If she were here, Ayame would be so happy to see you now."

"Congratulations, Keith."

"Yeah. Way to go."

"Yeah, man, ditto."

However, Keith didn't feel he was worthy of it.

"No, I don't accept this."

That caught the group by surprise, Jenny and Alphus in particular.

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"Keith, the Black Lion chose you."

"I can't replace Shiro! You guys were right. I'm the loner. I'm not the leader Shiro thought I was."

Then, Lance placed his hand on Keith's shoulder, to him and Jenny's surprise.

"Keith, no one can replace Shiro. But the Black Lion wouldn't choose anyone it didn't feel was worthy of leading Voltron. I respect its choice. And you should too."

That made Keith think about what would happen to his lion on the mixup.

"But who's gonna fly the Red Lion?"

That gave Jenny an idea.

"I think I know someone who might be ready for it."

* * *

Later, Allura sat in the Red Lion's cockpit as she spoke to it.

"I want to carry on my father's fight, but I need your help. Allow me to follow in his footsteps as your Paladin."

However, the Red Lion remained still before she spoke to it again.

"Please, I must do this. Others are risking their lives in this fight, and I can't continue to—"

Before she could finish, Allura began to cry as tears streamed down her face just as Jenny walked in and saw her before she gave her a hug.

"I'm really sorry, Allura. I know how much how you wanted this, but... I didn't mean to hurt you like this."

Then, Allura wiped her tears away before she spoke to Jenny.

"I'm fine. I know you never meant to hurt me, and you didn't. The best thing we can do is move on."

"But we still haven't figured out who would fly Red."

That made Jenny think about its prerequisites and what Lance said to Keith upon being chosen as leader before she had an epiphany.

"Wait a tick. I think I've figured it out."

* * *

At the atmosphere of Planet Puig, Ezor was giving out the details of the other planets' conditions to Lotor.

"The poor little Blade of Marmora's defenses are spread so thin, they cannot defend any of the other insurgent planets."

"And what about their rebellion?"

As Zethrid fed Narti's cat, Kova, she answered her leader.

"Crushed. Which is more than we can say for Planet Puig's resistance. I should be out there busting heads up!"

"And how are we to get answers as to who they're working with when you are 'busting heads up' as you please?"

That made Zethrid sigh dejectedly before Acxa spoke to Lotor as holograms of the lions popped up.

"Fair point."

"As for the whereabouts of the Voltron Lions, we've had reports of yellow, white, violet, and blue in the Paglium quadrant. Coincidentally, the White Lion was also seen with the red one throughout these quadrants. And the green one here, here, and here."

Lotor was still stuck on a certain lion that his father sought after.

"No Black Lion?"

"We've questioned the prisoners. No one has seen it."

Ezor has a theory about what could've happened to it.

"It's like it just vanished. Poof."

Given how vital the Black Lion is to its formation, Lotor knew its lack of appearances could only mean one thing.

"No Black Lion, no Voltron."

This made Lotor come up with an idea to draw out their attention.

"Narti, go to Planet Puig and speak with the leader of the Blade of Marmora."

Then, Ezor raised her hand up before Lotor spoke to her.

"Yes, Ezor?"

"Can I come with?"

"For what reason?"

"Honestly, I think the girl with the scythe is kinda cute."

As Zethrid sighed, she was more interested in Atchiam.

"What about the one with the robot arms? I want to take her on!"

Then, Lotor turned to Acxa before he spoke.

"I don't suppose you'd like to join them?"

"Like I have any choice."

"Very well. You may all assist in their capture."

* * *

Meanwhile on Planet Puig, Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, and Lapis were sneaking around the buildings as the first of the two spoke to the Puigian Leader.

"That was really brave of you to stand up to him like that. Sorry I ruined it with my sneeze. It's just so musty in there."

"Oh, no. It's fine. What do you think they're planning?"

Lapis spoke to the leader honestly about the situation.

"Honestly, I have no clue. Ayame told me about Lotor, and though she didn't get a good look at him, she was told that he wanted to make the universe better. But how?"

Then, the Puigian leader had a typical theory, that obviously miffed Lapis as she put in a scowl.

"Perhaps by enslaving us like his father did?"

"No, I don't think it's that simple. I understand where you're coming from, though. If he wanted to enslave us, he could've sent a whole army to take us. But, for whatever reason, he didn't. What's really going on in his head is what I'm worried about."

Then, Syn's voice spoke to her.

"Maybe you should worry more about what's going to happen to _you_."

Lapis turned backward in time to see Syn slash a dark purple energy projectile with his sword before they ducked as the building they hid behind was sliced where it was hit. Then, Lapis was left with no choice but to draw her weapon before she turned to her team.

"Listen, I need you guys to save as many villagers as you can and keep him safe while I deal with them. Can you handle that?"

Adea nodded to her as she answered.

"Okay!"

With that, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria took off with the Puigian leader before Syn spoke to them.

"None of you are going anywhere."

Before he could make an energy slash, Lapis stopped him with her luxite sword and glared at him.

"What are you doing here? What is Lotor trying to do?"

"I told you. You have to worry about yourself, first."

Lapis saw that as a challenge, to which she gladly accepted.

"Fine by me."

Then, Lapis yelled out as she thrusted Syn away from her.

* * *

Far away, Adea and the others panted as they hid behind the next building nearby a fence that Acxa had made before she realized what needed to be done.

"It's no use, guys. We need Voltron."

Atchiam didn't think it wise.

"What? No. We can't bring Voltron into this. We have to take care of this ourselves."

"But what if—?"

"No. They can't always be there to help us, remember?"

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try."

"But for all we know, that could be exactly what they would want us to do. It could be a trap."

"Exactly. While they're preoccupied with Voltron, we'll be able to rescue the villagers and take Planet Puig back."

Considering the context of the situation, the Puigian leader and Luzria agreed with Atchiam.

"You're willingly placing them in a trap?"

"Isn't that what we're trying to avoid?"

"If we can tell them our situation, they'll be able to find a workaround for it. If it works, we'll be able to keep Voltron _and_ Puig safe."

The Puigian leader sighed, seeing Adea's point before he got out a communicator that Allura gave him before he spoke.

"If you're certain there's no other way."

* * *

At the Castle, now that the Paladin of the Black Lion has been chosen, they're stuck on who should pilot the Red Lion.

"A new Paladin? I mean, where would we even start looking?"

Lance had an idea for Pidge's question.

"Well, I vote for getting some alien diversity on the team, and I know some cool mermaids who could be good at it."

Hunk had an idea about why Lance brought them up.

"You just want to see them again."

"Yeah, exactly. Remember when Jenny transformed into a mermaid? She looked so cool."

That caught Alphus by surprise.

"She did what?!"

That made Lance confused about her reaction.

"Wait. Aren't Alteans able to shapeshift?"

"Yes, but they can only change their height, weight, and color. What Jenny did was... it was what I would've done."

Lance and Hunk didn't find that surprising.

"So?"

"We all knew she had your powers."

That made Alphus sigh exaggeratedly before she spoke.

"I'm sorry. This-this is just a lot to process."

Then, Hunk and Pidge chimed their ideas in.

"Anyway, how about those blade guys?"

"Or the Olkari."

Jenny's voice spoke up to them as she and Allura entered.

"Or someone who was willing to follow Keith when he doubted himself. We were there when he helped him up." That made the group look to Lance questioningly as Pidge spoke up.

"Really? Lance?"

"Yeah. When Keith became the Black Paladin, Lance was willing to choose a strong team over his own need to be on top."

"Just like my father."

That made Lance worry about the Blue Lion.

"But... what about Blue?"

"Okay, calm down. But... Allura's gonna pilot the Blue Lion."

Then, Jenny covered her ears, expecting his shrill shriek. However, when Jenny looked at him, he saw his face being serious before he grinned.

"Allura, huh? Okay. That settles it, then."

Jenny smiled back as she responded.

"I'm glad we all agree."

Just then, a video transmission came on, showing the Puigian leader, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria.

"Voltron, we need your help. The Galrans have returned. They saw through our defense protocols and captured most of the Blade of Marmora personnel, along with our people.

Adea took her turn to speak up.

"They're expecting us to call you in so they can trap you guys, but don't worry. I'm sending you the coordinates to sneak by undetected."

Then, a star map of Puig's solar system appeared before Alphus pointed it out and Allura spoke up.

"The coordinates lead to the outskirts of the Paglium quadrant."

"The lions are on their way. Hold your ground and protect your people until we arrive. Voltron stands with you."

* * *

Adea then waved to the princess.

"Thanks, Princess. Bye!"

As the transmission turned off, Adea turned to the Puigian leader.

"Now what?"

"Now..."

She then turned her luxite blade into a scythe with a smirk on her face.

"We hold them out."

* * *

Meanwhile, Narti was infiltrating Sneren's mind as he groaned as her telepathic voice spoke to him.

" _Where do the other Blades congregate?"_

However, Sneren, for all of his trials, never gave in. As proof of this, Narti kept on hitting mind blocks he'd set up with Sneren smiling at her.

"There's no use trying, you know. I didn't earn my position as councilman for nothing. My mind is unbreakable."

" _Perhaps. But what about your heart?"_

With that, Narti motioned her own soldiers to bring forth a beaten Vrathrea as she fell to the floor with a thud after being chucked in front of him as she coughed, earning his concern.

"No..."

" _Tell me. Where are the other Blades?"_

* * *

At the Castle, Lance was now in a Red Paladin uniform while Keith was in a Black Paladin uniform before Alphus spoke to him.

"Keith. The Black Lion has chosen you. You can do this."

With that, Keith nodded to her before he walked into his elevator (set up by Slav out of professional opinion) that led to the Black Lion before he held onto the lever.

"This one's for you, Shiro."

Then, the lions ejected out of the Castle before Keith spoke up.

"Alright, guys. We're not about to let the Galra take back this planet, so follow me."

The Paladins all agreed to this.

"Right."

Just then, a dark red and black light came in the sky before it zoomed past the lions and headed toward Planet Puig, catching Lance's attention.

"What the heck just happened?!"

* * *

Outside the atmosphere, the same ship that went past the lions hovered above Lotor's as both sides on the planet looked up in horror as Kaecilius' voice spoke up.

"Attention, Galra Empire. This is Lord Kaecilius, Supreme Leader of the Drule Empire. Surrender now, or you and your enemies shall be annihilated."

Lapis, Syn, and Kurziam didn't quite like the situation.

"Well, this is bad."

"You ain't kidding, goody-two-shoes."

"Looks like we'll have to put this on hold for now."

Lapis then turned to the two generals before pointing to Kurziam.

"Agreed. Can you make sure the people are safe?"

"I'll do what I can."

"Next, she turned to Syn.

"And you, while she takes care of that, we'll be ground control. Just don't get in my way."

"Sure, as long as you don't get in mine."

Suddenly, a barrage of his Galra Fighters which glowed purple lights rather than red began firing on the people, civilian or otherwise with extreme prejudice as a child was about to get shot before Kurziam grabbed her and ran to the next building before setting her down and petting her head.

"Just get to somewhere safe, okay?"

The child nodded to her before she ran her own way and left Kurziam in the alleyway.

* * *

Meanwhile, Narti was in the midst of interrogating Sneren with Vrathrea held by her throat with her tail.

" _Tell me, or she dies."_

As she clenched her tail, Vrathrea was gasping for air, much to Sneren's worry before Lotor spoke to her.

"Narti. You're needed on the ship."

With that, Narti let go of Vrathrea and chucked her to the floor before turning to her soldiers and pointed her finger at her, signaling them to make sure she stayed where she fell: beside Sneren. Then, she walked away, leaving Vrathrea in the area of a worried Sneren.

Meanwhile, Keith gave the situation to Alphus.

"Alphus, we got bad news. Kaecilius has that plan in mind, too. He's started his attack on Planet Puig."

"We'll head there immediately. Until we arrive, you must form Voltron and fight him."

"You got it. But with everyone still getting used to their lions, mainly me, Lance, and Allura, that might be a problem."

"Well, work it out."

* * *

On Planet Puig, Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid, who'd just landed, noticed the Black Lion and the others darting to fight Kaecilius.

"Hey! It's the black kitty!"

On the ship, Lotor knew what it meant to see the Black Lion.

"So, it survived. And the other lions are present as well."

Acxa spoke to Lotor before she spoke.

"What are your orders, sir? Should we fire on the lions?"

"No. I want to see what they're capable of."

* * *

Kaecilius took notice of that as well and grew displeased.

"Voltron, again? As if Lotor wasn't the only blight to my plans. Nevertheless, press the attack. I'd like to see them try to keep up."

* * *

As multiple fighters appeared, Hunk and Pidge screamed as they swerved and evaded the blasts, only for one after another to pop up.

"Pidge, behind you!"

As they tried to aim for Pidge, Hunk got in between them and smashed them with its tough armor before he spoke to the lion.

"Oh, I hope your super armor holds out, buddy boy."

"Where's Keith?"

Jenny answered Pidge as she and Keith fought them back.

"He's with me, Pidge! But we're kind of in some trouble at the moment!"

"These controls don't respond like the Red Lion's. We need some help."

As they encountered wave after wave of fighters, Jenny received a vision of the past in which the exact same fighters (only back then they had red lighting) were gunning down Altean fighters before she felt a strong and painful surge of anguish before she yelled out, sending a mental shockwave that decimated the fighters one by one, leaving only Kaecilius' Cruiser which still sent out more ships. Keith checked with Jenny as she panted her breath.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I think that cleared my head a little. Good thing Alphus taught me that one at least, huh?"

* * *

At the Cruiser, Kaecilius tensed in anger, remembering the humiliation he'd put him through before he turned to Vantiv before he spoke.

"Vantiv, prepare the Chaos Cannon and fire it at the White Lion."

"What? But it's not tested yet."

"Consider the White Lion a test subject."

* * *

Then, the Cruiser opened up to reveal an upgraded ion cannon with a spike on the top of it as a dark red substance inside it sunk into the weapon before it began glowing a dark red light with a black coloring on the inside before it fired at the White Lion, only for Jenny to pull up her particle barrier and block it before it collided. Jenny was having great difficulty holding it back as it started cracking before a switch opened up for her, to which she placed her bayard in and gave her White Lion a surge that powered it up and reflected it back where it fired from, disabling the Chaos Cannon, much to Kaecilius' increased frustration as he growled.

"Fix that Chaos Cannon immediately!"

Just then, his cruiser jolted before he spoke again.

"Alright, who did that?!"

Varek had the answer.

"It must be the Altean Castle."

* * *

Coran confirmed his answer as he spoke to the Paladins.

"Need some help?"

Then, the Castle fired it's cannon at the ships without lowering the particle barrier before they exploded as Keith smiled.

"Thanks, Keith."

On Planet Puig, Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid were watching the explosions before Atchiam spoke to them.

"Hey! Aren't we still fighting?"

Zethrid smiled at her question before she cracked her knuckles while Ezor and Acxa got ready to fight.

"Does this answer your question?"

Atchiam smiled back at her before she, Adea, and Luzria got into a stance.

"Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

Lapis and Syn, in the meantime, were fighting against the soldiers that originated in Kaecilius' faction with great precision as they kept coming at them to no avail. When there was no more left, Lapis and Syn turned to each other.

"Is that all of them?"

Then, Syn answered her question as they saw more soldiers swarming toward them.

"You tell me."

* * *

At Lotor's ship, Sneren tried his best to break free before Vrathrea cleared her throat, catching him by surprise before she broke his chains and helped him up.

"But how did you...?"

"I didn't become councilwoman for nothing, either. Now, we must find a way out of here."

"Agreed. But how are we going to do that? We're in the middle of a war zone."

Then, Vrathrea got close to his face with a smirk.

"Did that ever stop us before?"

Sneren widened his eyes before he cleared his throat.

"Touché."

* * *

Out in space, Kaecilius grew furious before he shouted to Vantiv.

"Don't just stand there! Fire at the Castle with everything we have!"

"Aye, sir!"

Suddenly, a dark red and black blast fired from the ship, damaging the barrier before Coran grunted. Suddenly, another blast was fired at it. As this happened, Lance was enjoying the Red Lion.

"Woo-hoo! Boy, this lion can move!"

However, when the explosion cleared away, he saw Kaecilius' Cruiser aiming to fire again, only for Lance to try to use it as a spring as it landed on the cruiser with its legs before jumping, resulting in Kaecilius' Cruiser during the blast away from the Castle.

"What?!"

As Kaecilius growled, Keith spoke to Lance.

"Hey! Be careful with Red!"

"Oh, fly your own lion, Keith."

Suddenly, the Red Lion smashed into a speeding fighter before it exploded as he screamed.

"I meant to do that!"

Pidge had to admit the situation wasn't looking the best it could be.

"Wow, we're really kind of a mess. We need to get organized. Keith, what should we do?"

Keith had an idea that he can only think of as a way to be close together.

"We need to form Voltron! Everyone in formation!"

Then, they all flew by each other before Hunk pointed out a problem.

"Uh, guys? Guys, I'm not really feeling that Voltron feeling!"

"Keep going!"

Jenny saw this and grew worried.

"Uh, nothings happening, you guys?"

Keith only growled at the situation escalating.

"What is going on?"

Then, Kaecilius took the opportunity to speak to Vantiv.

"On second thought, fire at the Black Lion. Leave nothing of it alive."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the cannon went online again before firing at Keith, only for Jenny to block its path with her particle barrier before they were quickly knocked away by the backlash as the lions were forcibly shut down by the effects as Lotor grew displeased.

"How disappointing. It appears that the reality of Voltron does not live up to the legend."

Just then, a pod was fired from his ship to see Sneren and Vrathrea escaping before he sighed.

"And as if things weren't bad enough..."

* * *

At Planet Puig, Acxa, Ezor, Zethrid, Syn, and Kurziam were called by Lotor.

"Attention, generals. I'm afraid we must retreat from Planet Puig."

That made Acxa worried about their prisoners while Ezor and Zethrid grew disappointed.

"Aw, man."

"I was so close, too."

"But what about the prisoners?"

"Leave them. They're _his_ problem now."

With that, Lotor and his fleet ran away from the battle before Kaecilius took his deep breaths as his temper rapidly cooled down, catching Vantiv's worry.

"Are you alright?"

"For now. They're not with my time anymore. If they can't form Voltron, we must take this opportunity to learn from our mistakes. Retreat."

With that both Galra and Drule Empires had now left most of the Voltron Lions incapacitated before Jenny tried to speak to them.

"Guys? Guys?! You okay?! Come on, guys?! Come in!"

Then, Lance spoke to her, annoyed at her repetitive panic.

"Sheesh, Jenny! We're okay!"

"Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were goners."

"Woof. Now I know... how you feel."

As Lance spoke to her, Jenny felt the same way.

"Yeah. I know how you felt, too. But, why didn't it work?"

Then, Keith spoke up.

"Maybe we're still getting used to our lions. Either way, we know that Kaecilius made weapons from Dark Quintessence."

Alphus grew worried about that, considering its effects in a mortal body.

"This is... deeply disturbing."

Keith knew that their next mission was clear.

"We need to find out more."

Jenny grew confused about what he meant.

"About what?"

"About where he's getting the shipment, about Lotor, about the lions, and... that's pretty much it."

"Okay. Well, let's do the second thing first, okay?"

* * *

At the Castle, Lance said goodbye to the Blue Lion with Jenny as moral support.

"Well, Old Blue, we sure had some fun adventures, didn't we? I wanted to stay with you, but, sometimes, what we want isn't necessarily what we get. I'm gonna miss you, buddy."

"Well, it's for the best, Lance. I'm proud of you for doing this."

Just then, Allura came in dressed in a pink Voltron uniform.

"Pink, huh? Not what I was expecting, but I like it?"

"Wait, That was an option?"

"Yes. On Altea, we wear this color to honor our fallen warriors. I wear it to honor the Paladins of old. And Shiro and Ayame."

That made Jenny twitch her eyes before she calmed down.

"Well... I want to honor them, too."

Then, Keith handed Allura his blue bayard before he spoke.

"This belongs to you now. If I had to lose Blue to someone, I'm glad it was you."

Just then, Coran spoke on the speakers.

"Princess, Sneren and Vrathrea just finished recovery! And they're not the only ones!"

At the sleep chamber, Allura, Jenny, and Lance came in to see the others in shock as they beheld not only the recovered Vrathrea and Sneren, but also a certain someone who was the Emperor of the Galra Empire. Jenny widened her eyes in disbelief and shock as she whispered his name.

"Zarkon...?"

Then, Zarkon spoke in a younger voice toward them.

"Tell me. Where is Lotor?"


	30. The Hunted

**A/N: Hello. :) Sorry I took so long. Like I said, it's hard focusing on more than one story at a time. Anyway, here's the next chapter of Fate of the Defenders for you all to enjoy.**

 **Chapter 29:** The Hunted

In the Castle, Alphus was surprised about Zarkon's awakening, even more so with what he asked as Sneren and Vrathrea sat beside him.

"Unbelievable. That's the only question you had in mind after what you've done?! 'Where is Lotor?!' How can you be so arrogant to demand that answer after what you put me through?!"

Jenny could tell that Zarkon being alive and ignoring his actions got Alphus on edge and tried her best to soothe her.

"Alphus, relax. He's not possessed by Omegus anymore. Maybe he doesn't remember."

"If that was the case, how could he possibly know about Lotor, then?"

"Maybe they were expecting before it happened. I don't know."

"Of course you don't! You weren't there!"

Then, Sneren spoke up and broke up the bout.

"Enough! Alphus, with all due respect, we at least need to hear what he has to say."

Alphus looked at him with malice before Allura spoke.

"He's right. The arrangement was just as difficult for me. But not all Galra are like Zarkon."

"We're not talking about other Galra, Allura. We're talking about _him._ "

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But just this once, let him speak."

Alphus looked back at Zarkon before she took her deep breath and spoke.

"Fine. Why do you want to see your son so badly?"

"To stop him from making the same mistake I made."

That answer caught Alphus totally unaware, not to mention infuriated her.

"Mistake?! My brother is gone because of you, and you call that a mistake?!"

Jenny then grasped Alphus' hand and clutched onto it before she spoke.

"Whoa, Alphus. Take a chill pill, okay?"

Then, the former emperor of dread spoke on.

"I know what I've done and I'm sorry to hurt you like this, but I can't let Lotor end up becoming a savage ruler like I was. The only way to guarantee this is by setting him straight."

Lapis got confused with his goal.

"Set him straight? From what?"

"From Quintessence."

That answer made everyone look to their left before their right in confusion. After which, Jenny spoke to him.

"And just what do you mean by that? The Divine one or the Dark?"

"All of the above. What I ended up doing, my possession of my body by Omegus, all of it was because of Quintessence. No one should have this power."

Then, Sneren spoke.

"As if we need your validation, tyrant. We were locating him, anyway."

Lapis looked to the two Blades before she shared her inquiry.

"You were? How?"

Vrathrea took the liberty to respond.

"We planted a tracker in his ship just before we escaped."

Lapis grew afraid of what it meant.

"But that means—"

Suddenly, Coran's voice spoke up.

"Princess, the Black Lion is leaving the Castle!"

"Oh, quiznak. Everyone head to the lions, quickly!"

That brought Zarkon to consideration as she turned to Belle, Sandra, and the councilmen.

"Belle, Sandra, you two help Sneren and Vrathrea keep an eye on him until we get back."

"Got it."

"No problem."

Then, realizing the job they're given they grew worried.

"Wait, what?"

* * *

As Jenny, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Lapis hurried to the lions, Lapis spoke to Keith via gauntlet.

"Keith, what are you doing?"

"I'm following the tracker Sneren and Vrathrea put on Lotor's ship. Tell everyone to get their lions. We're going after him. You want me to lead Voltron? This is how I lead."

Then, Lapis responded back as the rest of the lions got near the Black Lion.

"Yeah. I kinda did that already, so..."

"Well, good."

* * *

Later, everyone made a break for Lotor around a red planet as Pidge gave out the details.

"Lotor's cruiser is on the other side of the planet. At our current rate of speed, we'll be within attack range in an hour."

Then, Adea's voice spoke to Pidge.

"Uh, isn't that a varga?"

"Whatever."

Keith was more focused on the mission than the time labeling.

"Good. Hold formation."

As the Lions got near Lotor's Cruiser, Allura inadvertently crashed into Hunk with a grunt.

"Oh, apologies, Hunk!"

Jenny spoke to Allura next as the White Lion flew by her.

"It's okay, Allura. It's perfectly normal to be nervous your first time driving a giant cosmic lion."

Realizing the context, Jenny heard herself as she blinked her eyes.

"Wow. Those are the weirdest words I've ever said."

Then, Hunk spoke up next.

"Mm, is attacking right now such a good idea? You know, since not everyone is so great with their lions?"

Allura grew worried at what he meant.

"Do you mean me, specifically?"

"You? No. No way, I didn't— I'm just simply pointing out that more than half of the team are in new lions. Maybe now's not a great time to bite off more than we can chew."

Lance spoke against him while Jenny defended Keith.

"You can blame our hot-headed leader for that one."

"First, you want me to lead, and then you complain about how I do it."

"Knock it off, Lance! He just saw an opportunity and he took it. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Exactly. Thank you, Jenny. Prince Lotor is the heir to the Galra throne. While it's not such a hot idea to let Zarkon back on his throne just yet, we can't let him rule in his place, either. We can end his reign right now."

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"And then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what's going to happen to the Galra Empire if we do? I mean, we don't have Ayame anymore, and... it's going to be difficult to bring them back to peace without her. Impossible, even."

Having realized that he forgot about her, Keith was at a loss for what comes after.

"I dunno. I never thought past that to be honest."

"Then why don't we just talk to Lotor and see what _he_ has to say? Zarkon may be cured from the Dark Quintessence, but I'm honestly more worried about what his kid _actually_ plans to do to make the universe at peace."

"Alright, Jenny. We'll try this your way. For Ayame."

Just then, the Red Lion flew by the White and Blue Lions as he spoke to Allura.

"Allura, you doing okay in blue?"

"I'm fine. I've been flying the Castle for half my life. I just need a few ticks to adjust to the Lion."

Then, Keith spoke up.

"Good, because we're going in."

* * *

At Lotor's cruiser, a beeping came from the ship's main hangar before it showed the seven lions headed toward him. Acxa spoke to Lotor about the matter.

"The lions will be on us in one varga. What are your orders?"

Zethrid, more likely to heed her combatting instincts, spoke to them.

"I say we turn around and start shooting."

Just then, Jenny spoke from the White Lion.

"Attention, Prince Lotor. This is Jennifer Shaybon of the White Lion. We'd like to request a sit-down with you."

That made Ezor confused.

"A sit-down? That's weird."

Jenny then continued to speak onward as Lotor looked at her.

"We simply just want to know what your plans are for peace. A general of yours and Keith met a while back in the stomach of the Weblum."

Then, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti, Syn and Kurziam turned to Acxa as she nodded to them as Jenny spoke on.

"She told us you're trying to make the universe a better place. If that is what you're trying to prove, you will come speak with us, alone."

With that, the transmission ended before Zethrid talked back too late.

"Hah! You want peace?! Here's your peace! I'm gonna—"

Just then, Lotor spoke to Zethrid.

"Enough. I must admit, it is a bit unorthodox to request a sit-down with the opponent, but if it's what must be done..."

Syn didn't quite like the situation one bit.

"What? You're actually going through with this?"

"Actually, Syn, I've got something else in store."

* * *

Suddenly, the lions detected movement as a red circle enveloped his fighter as Jenny spoke.

"How about that? Let's hope he can make this work."

However, Jenny was proven wrong as Lotor flew above the lions and began shooting at the White Lion, forcing it to retreat as the other lions followed them while Jenny tried reaching out to Lotor.

"Hey! No fair! I'm trying to avoid a fight here!"

Lotto seemingly ignored her pleas as he shot at her, hitting the barrier set up.

"Ugh! I can't shake him, guys. I could use some help here!"

Just then, Lapis caught up to them, as did Allura and Keith.

"Coming up on your six."

However, Lotor noticed them with a smile before the lions shot at him with their lasers, urging Lotor to maneuver his fighter around them, inadvertently causing them to hit the barrier before Jenny spoke up.

"Allura, take it easy, will ya?"

"I'm sorry, Jenny!"

Lance, in the meantime, was having difficulty getting used to the speed of the Red Lion.

"Seriously, does this thing have brakes?"

Then, Lotor shot at the Black Lion before hitting the other lions. At this point, Jenny was getting flustered as she gasped at what he's doing to them.

"Okay, Lotor. You can take shots at me. But no one, and I mean no one, messes with my friends!"

Then, Jenny angrily shot her lasers at Lotor, missing him repeatedly causing her to speed up to him, only for him to move out of the way and reveal the Blue Lion headed toward her.

"Oh, no."

With that, Jenny and Allura smashed into each other and spin around as Lance spoke before the former apologized.

"What's up with this guy, he's playing us against ourselves."

"Sorry, Allura. That one's on me. You okay?"

"I'm fine, but these controls are not responding, not like the Castle."

Jenny made a guess about it, infuriating her.

"Uh, maybe because it's not the Castle?"

"I know that! What's wrong with you, Lion?! Do as I command! Move!"

Pidge thought it had to be said, only to meet reasons why it didn't work as Jenny, Lance, and Hunk spoke.

"Maybe someone should suggest to Allura that flying the lion is different than flying the Castle."

"I just tried that, Pidge, and in case you weren't paying attention just now, she snapped at me."

"Same here. Didn't go over well. She yelled at me, too."

"Yeah, count me out. She scares me when she's under pressure."

"I can hear you."

As Lance, Pidge, and Hunk panicked, Jenny retaliated.

"Well, good! Because you're not supposed to yell!"

Just then, Lapis spoke up.

"Yeah, I'd be more concerned with Lotor right now. Keith, what's the plan?"

Infuriated enough with the situation, Keith wanted some space.

"How about this? Everyone stay out of my way!"

Lance spoke up to him, putting him down again.

"Great. Great leadership."

Adela saw the bright side of what he said.

"Well, doy! He's telling us to recover. We've been hitting each other way more than we've hit Lotor."

"Good point."

Just then, Lotor engaged the Black Lion before the Violet Lion engaged its ion cannon at 20% power and fired it, only for Lotor to escape before the cannon hit the Black Lion and caused it to be knocked back before Lapis grew concerned.

"Keith! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'd be better if we'd caught him, though."

Then, the lions all noticed that he'd gone as Lapis spoke.

"He's gone now."

Then, Luzria gave her two cents before Hunk spoke up.

"Hmph. Looks like he wasn't planning peace after all. The guilty never run."

"So... should we call it quits? Maybe go back, regroup, get a meal?"

Keith and Jenny begged to differ as the both of them acted indiscriminately.

"No!"

Stunted by speaking at the same time, they looked to each other before Keith spoke to her.

"Huh?"

"Lotor could've meant anything by what he did. After all, he did come alone. We just need to find out what he's really doing to us."

Then, Keith took his turn.

"I know everyone is struggling, but we can't let Lotor slip away. Like Jenny said, we need to find out what he's planning and fast."

* * *

Far away, Lotor spoke to himself before his generals.

"Now they have a reason to fight. Acxa, set course for these coordinates. I'm going to lure the lions there."

Then, Acxa pulled up a foggy planet and knew what it was.

"Thayserix? Why?"

"These are not the Paladins who rid my father of Omegus."

Ezor found that especially confusing as there's only one main Voltron.

"What? How do you know?"

"They do not fight as a unit and are unable to form Voltron. Perhaps Omegus did as much damage to the team as they did to him. Whatever the case, they're vulnerable and we need to take advantage."

Acxa quickly made an adjustment to Lotor's fighter.

"Recalibrating your fighter to adjust for the atmospheric changes on Thayserix now."

Ezor grew concerned about this.

"What? What happens on Thayserix?"

"The planet is made of dense gases and has unusual magnetic poles that distort and wreak havoc on normal sensors."

"Oh... So, once the lions are there, they'll be blind."

Ezor realized what it meant to her friend before she turned to her.

"No offense, Narti."

Narti, however, didn't take offense to that as she replied telekinetically with a happy voice.

" _None taken."_

"Keep the cruiser in orbit around Thayserix. The lions will need some place to recover for her sit-down."

* * *

Later, the paladins had found Lotor near Thayserix and closer in on him while drawing near the planet's surface as Keith had an idea of what he's doing.

"He's trying to hide from us."

Pidge didn't think it wise to go after him in spite of it.

"We may not want to follow him. We don't know know what's in there."

Jenny spoke up in a verbal counter.

"I do. Lotor."

Then, Jenny and Keith thrusted their lions into the atmosphere, only for the lions' sensors to go dark (except for Jenny's) before Pidge tried to speak to them.

"Guys, we have a problem. My sensors are going crazy. I think it's due to this planet's atmosphere and what must be strange magnetic poles."

Keith didn't let that faze him as he spoke to them.

"We can't worry about that now. I'm not letting this guy get away."

"Keith, without accurate sensors or working equipment, we're not gonna be able to tell what's up or down, where we are, or how to get out. I say we fall back."

"No, keep going."

However, on the other lions, save for the White Lion, Keith's voice was breaking up.

"...going."

Hunk grew concerned with that.

"What? All I heard was 'going.' Are we going back? Is anyone else getting this static?"

Knowing Keith well, she suggested otherwise.

"No, Hunk. He said to keep going. But... at this point, even I wouldn't recommend it."

Jenny couldn't be more right as Allura was starting to lose them.

"I'm losing visuals on you all. I need you to slow down!"

Jenny grew concerned about Allura before looking to her and back to Keith who spoke clearly on her lion.

"We gotta keep up. He's getting away!"

Jenny looked back to Allura as Hunk spoke next.

"Guys, I think this gas is messing with our radios. We gotta stay close if we want to be able to communicate. But wait, how come your radio's fine, Jenny?"

Then, Jenny spoke to Keith clearly.

"Sorry, Keith. But I'm not going to let Lotor win this by separating us."

Then, Jenny headed back to Lotor before Keith grew angry.

"Jenny, no!"

Growling from what he considered mutiny, he sped up toward Lotor as did the other lions while the White Lion stayed by Allura and boosted her with its back. As they got closer, Lance spoke to the others.

"I think we made it through the worst of it."

However, he only saw a rock in front of him before he swiftly evaded it as did Hunk, Pidge, and Lapis. Meanwhile, Jenny and Allura noticed the rock and panicked.

"No! No!"

"Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock!"

Fortunately, they were able to stop from crashing into that rock. Unfortunately, Allura crashed into the ledge, concerning Jenny as the Blue Lion tumbled.

"Allura!"

Hunk noticed this, too, and vied to head back for her.

"Allura took a hit. I'm going after them."

"Hunk!"

Keith grew annoyed at another example of mutiny as he groaned before speaking again.

"The rest of you, stay on me!"

As Keith got closer to Lotor, he swerved away before heading to another direction with Keith closing in before Lance spoke to him.

"Keith, we have to go back for Allura."

Jenny happened to hear Lance's radio and heard Keith growling before he spoke again.

"Keith, you're splitting up the team! Keith, don't do this!"

When he refused to listen, Jenny was forced to speak to him directly.

"If you think doing this to your team is what being a Paladin is about, then you're no better than Zarkon."

Hearing this, Keith remembered what Alphus spoke of at the Castle as her voice, Jenny, and Lance's echoed in his mind.

" _You're no better than Zarkon."_

" _I can't let Lotor win this by separating us."_

" _Keith, don't do this!"_

Finally, he yelled as he pulled the lion back and the others followed him.

* * *

Meanwhile on Lotor's cruiser, Zethrid was angry with him.

"Stop toying with them! Bring the pain!"

* * *

On Thayserix, Pidge spoke to everyone.

"Is everyone okay?"

Jenny spoke up for an answer before Allura showed her penitence.

"Yep. For now."

"I'm sorry that I slowed us down, but the Blue Lion isn't listening to me."

Lance spoke to Allura before glaring at Keith.

"It's okay. We're a team. We stick together. Isn't that right, Keith?"

Keith retaliated and revealed his true motives.

"It's not about the team. We have a mission that's more important than any one of us."

At that moment, Jenny figured it all out. Allura said that to him and he has been trying to abide by that ever since. Though, it wasn't to say he got the right idea.

"So because of that, you get to push us away?! That's not what Allura meant, Keith!"

"Then what did she mean?!"

"Obviously, she meant we can't honor their sacrifice by tearing our team apart! Is that what Ayame wanted you to do?!"

That made Keith stricken with guilt as he hung his head down.

"No."

"Then stop acting like you can walk out on us any time of day, because you can't. And you shouldn't. Look what it nearly did to all of us. We could've died. Did you really want this?"

From what Jenny had told him, he'd begun to think differently.

"Okay. I get it. I'm not cut out to be a leader, alright?"

"What? No, Keith, I didn't say that..."

"Well, maybe you should!"

With that, Keith took off away from the team feeling guilty about what he'd put his team through as Jenny grew worried.

"Keith..."

Lance only sighed, knowing how hurt Jenny must've been now that the team has separated again.

"Come on, guys. We'd better stick together."

That made Jenny more determined as she spoke.

"Right. But not without Keith."

With that, all of the lions took off for Keith with the White Lion in the lead before it hovered in front of Keith, who got startled and was forced to stop the Black Lion.

"Jenny? What are you doing?"

"I know you're hurting, Keith. We all are. But like I said, that doesn't mean you can tear our team apart, whether you feel worthy or not."

"Don't you get it? I'm no leader."

"You know, not all leaders are born great. Not even Shiro. You know, my sis told me about how he started out. He was just like you. Hard-headed, determined, angsty. And that was all before he even flew a mission, too. But then came my big sis. She helped him become better than who he was back then. When you came to the Garrison... Shiro wanted to do that for you, too. To help you become better than who you are. Please... don't make Shiro's effort be for nothing."

As he pondered this, he remembered the time he'd spent with Shiro as he shed tears of joy, proud of what he'd built him up and what he did for him before he spoke.

"I'm sorry. You're right. We can't let Lotor separate us again. From here on out, we stay together."

"Good. Let's try to keep it that way, okay?"

As Jenny spoke, they were all unaware of Lotor watching them in the gas, intrigued by Jenny's speech and her dedication. For an Altean, it was almost Galra-like. With that, he smiled as the team huddled together.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Lotor's cruiser, Acxa spoke to two Galra soldiers.

"Prince Lotor requires your assistance on Planet Thayserix. We expect you here immediately."

After the transmission ended, Ezor spoke about the ongoing situation.

"Lotor is right on top of the lions. They have no idea."

Zethrid was more concerned about the lack of satisfactory explosives.

"Why isn't he firing?! He could be tearing them to shreds right now! Blow them up, Lotor!"

Acxa pointed a detail lost on Zethrid.

"He can't. The area he's in is full of Red Syntian Nitrate, a highly combustible has that reacts violently to amplified emissions of light."

That made it all the more exciting for Zethrid as she chuckled.

"This is gonna be good."

However, Syn brought up a crucial detail that was supposed to happen on Planet Puig.

"And what about your competition? Wouldn't you rather take her down yourself?"

That made Zethrid change her tune before she shouted the contrary.

"On second thought, don't blow them up!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on Thayserix, the team is having great difficulty seeing through the gas as Hunk complained.

"This is crazy! We can't see a thing."

Keith responded back to him.

"Stay together. He's here somewhere. I know it."

Suddenly, Atchiam piped up.

"Found him!"

With that, Lapis spoke to Keith.

"Got it, Atchiam. Keith—"

"I know. Follow me."

When they got to where he was, he's nowhere to be seen. Allura grew concerned about this before she spoke.

"Where did he go?"

Jenny answered her question before Pidge spoke.

"Beats me. Even my radar can't track him. Honestly, the one part of the White Lion that's extremely useful is just trashed. Not that the other stuff isn't useful, but you know."

Then, Hunk perked the Yellow Lion's head up as he spoke.

"Hey, is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling this guy is just toying with us?"

Lance and Pidge could agree with him.

"I'm with you, big guy. I'm getting a case of the heebie-jeebies."

"He must have lured us here on purpose."

Luzria grew concerned about this.

"But why? I mean, what possible motive is there for this just to capture us?"

Suddenly, Keith noticed Lotor's fighter headed toward them.

"Up there!"

Fortunately, they were able to evade the ship before it flew away before Jenny took a deep breath.

"Okay. That was a bit scary."

For Hunk it was more than that as he panicked while Jenny tried to get a word in.

"We need to get out of here. We've been led into a trap. The tables have turned."

"Um..."

"He's flipped the script."

"Uh..."

"The hunters have become the hunted."

That made Lance frustrated before the Red Lion flew to him, causing him to scream as Lance spoke.

"Hunk, shouting taglines is getting us nowhere!"

Keith had to agree with him.

"Lance is right. Remain calm and get ready. He's gonna attack again. Everyone circle up. We need to be prepared for anything."

With that, the lions pointed their tails to one another as Adea smiled.

"You know, I was hoping we'd get to do this. I just wish it was under better situations."

Lapis gave her comfort before Keith spoke up.

"Don't worry, Adea. We can make it."

"As soon as you see him, fire with everything you've got."

However, something didn't quite sit well with Atchiam.

"Wait. This gas..."

Then, she gasped just as Lotor peeked out.

"Red Syntian Nitrate."

Then, Lotor made his move before Keith spoke.

"Now! Fire!"

Then, Atchiam tried to warn him.

"No, wait! You can't!"

However, she was too late as Keith ended up inflamed the gas and made an explosion near him before the others did the same save for Jenny and Lapis, who were able to listen to Atchiam's words.

"What's up?"

"It's Red Syntian Nitrate! We so much as charge it up, we get _blown_ up!"

Just then, Allura took off away from a Lotor before Jenny went after her.

"Allura, wait!"

As Jenny went after her, Allura scampered off away from a Lotor only to trip and end up rolling into a ball.

"Hello? Paladins, help!"

"Don't worry, Allura! I'm coming over!"

However, Jenny wasn't able to stop her from crashing before she ended up tossed into the tree before she went after Allura.

"Hang on!"

Then, the two of them hid before Lotor managed to find the tree, only to encounter difficulty in finding them.

"I am impressed that you two are able to hide, but I will find you."

Unbeknownst to Lotor, the White and Blue lions were on a branch above as they panted.

* * *

Far away, Keith and Lapis looked everywhere for Jenny, Pidge, Hunk, and Allura while Lance remained on the rocky precipice.

"What happened back there?"

Atchiam spoke to Lance.

"I was trying to tell you before, but you didn't listen. Maybe if you had..."

Lapis wasn't in the mood for it.

"Can it, Atchiam. What we should be worrying about is where the rest of the team are."

All the while, Keith's faith and self-esteem is being shaken.

"This is all my fault. I followed him right into this trap. Everyone warned me, but I didn't listen. I put the entire team in jeopardy."

Lance can agree with Keith, looking back on his actions.

"Yeah, you kinda did. But now we gotta fix it."

"What's the point?"

"Keith, remember what Jenny told you. Not all great leaders are born great. They have their flaws like everyone else. Even Shiro did. And you know what? If he and Ayame were here, they wouldn't want you to give up right now."

That made Keith become determined before he spoke.

"You're right. Let's go."

With that, Lance, Keith, and Lapis all took off to look for the others.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk has become lost.

"Hello? Anyone?"

Suddenly, he noticed a figure with yellow eyes in the red gas and grew frightened at first before Pidge's voice came through.

"Is anyone there? Hello?"

That gave Hunk some relief.

"Pidge!"

"Hunk!"

"Oh, my gosh! OMG. I'm so glad I found you. Okay, what kind of computer-y stuff can you do to fix the radar, find everyone, and get us all out of here?"

"Actually, I can't recalibrate my system without a data constant, which I could have gotten had we not rushed into this gas planet."

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying... we're stuck."

That made Hunk gulp in fear.

* * *

Far away, Jenny and Allura were still hiding from Lotor as the latter tried to get the other's attention.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Jenny spoke to Allura on her radio.

"Yeah, I can hear you. But I think I'm the only one who can at the moment."

As they saw Lotor's ship flying away, Jenny offered an idea.

"Maybe you need to connect with your lion. That's what we all did."

Then, Allura sighed and tried to take a deep breath.

"Okay. Stay calm, Allura. Think. What would Lance do?"

That made Allura try to act Lance-like with the Blue Lion.

"Hey there, Blue Lion. You know, you're really activating my particle barrier right now."

That only earned a buzzer sound from Jenny.

"Nope! That's not how he bonded with the Blue Lion. Besides, it's only cute when he does it."

That made Allura hang her head down in frustration before speaking angrily.

"Nothing works! I've tried asking you nicely, and I've tried commanding you. What do you want from me?"

Jenny had another idea.

"Hmm. Ohh. Maybe it just needs you to be honest with it. Like, what do _you_ want from _it_?"

Allura couldn't see the point in this as she hung her head further down.

"I can't do this. Everyone depends on me. The universe depends on me? But I can't control everything."

"Yeah, that's it, Allura. Keep going. What do you need?"

"I... I need your help."

Suddenly, the Blue Lion's eyes flared yellow before it growled at her, earning her gasp.

"I can hear you."

Suddenly, a blast came at them, sending Allura and Jenny past the tree as they tumbled before they stopped themselves and noticed Lotor as the latter spoke.

"Yeah? So did he."

As Lotor smiled at them, Jenny growled and spoke to her.

"Allura, go. Get out of here. I'll hold him off."

"But, Jenny..."

"I said go!"

Then, Jenny fired her laser at Lotor, only for him to evade the blast before it took off for Allura, much to her anger.

"You leave her alone!"

Just as Jenny gave chase, Lotor shot above the Blue Lion and caused rocks to fall from above, to which Allura managed to avoid only to be shot at by Lotor again before she regained motion.

"Help me. Guide me. I can't do it alone."

Just then, the Blue Lion opened a panel for Allura, revealing its ability to do sonic waves to her as she smiled. With that, the Blue Lion summoned a sonic machine before it activated, making a map for her.

"A sonar map. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Blue?"

With that, Allura evaded the obstacles in front of her as Lotor smiled.

"Someone's learning."

As the Blue Lion leaped from wall to wall, Lotor continued to give chase to Allura as Jenny did to him as he prepared to fire.

"Come on. Almost..."

However, Lotor noticed where the Blue Lion was leading him.

"Nitrate gas!"

As Lotor stopped himself, Jenny fired a white laser at him near the right wing, causing a detonation of the gas by the side as Allura leaped behind him.

"Now, let's see if this freeze ray works in here."

With that, Allura fired the freeze ray at the left wing, causing the whole ship to go down and crash altogether. As Lotor tried to take flight again, he realized he was stuck.

"I've lost control on both wings."

Suddenly, Jenny and Allura landed in front of him before the former spoke to him.

"Look, if you were going to train us, you could've just said so."

Realizing that Jenny figured out his game, he smiled.

"Well played, Jennifer."

That made Allura surprised.

"What? You _knew_?"

"Yep. I figured it out when he lured us here. He saw how terrible we were at forming Voltron at Planet Puig. This was his way of testing us, teaching us that we're stronger together."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because from what Ayame told us, Lotor's on our side. Right?"

Lotor smiled at Jenny due to her detective skills.

"Once again, well played."

One thing still concerned Allura.

"But hold on. If that was a test, then where are the others?"

"The test is still going on, technically. We gotta find them ourselves."

"But what about Lotor?"

"I said we were gonna do a sit-down, and that's what's gonna happen."

Then, Jenny turned to the downed ship.

"So, Lotor, how would you like to bunk with us?"

* * *

Far away, Hunk gave Pidge the low-down.

"Hey, Pidge. Here's the scenario. You're stranded on a scary gas planet, and you only have one food to eat for the rest of your life. What's it gonna be? Maybe a burrito? You like burritos, right? Mine would be a burrito."

Just then, Allura's voice spoke to them.

"Hailing Pidge and Hunk. Are you paladins looking for an exit?"

Just then, Hunk and Pidge noticed Jenny and Allura along with Keith, Lapis, and Lance.

"No way! You guys found us!"

Hunk then laughed before Keith spoke up.

"Actually, Allura and Jenny found you. They found all of us. She was able to connect with her lion."

Jenny knew he was right.

"Uh-huh. And we caught Lptor in the process, too. In fact, he's my shipmate."

Pidge was impressed with what went down between them.

"Wow! How did you do it?"

"I just had to get a Lance-like mindset and stop thinking so much."

"Yeah, think like Lance!"

Then, Lance realized what Allura could mean by that and grew offended.

"Wait. Wait a minute! Are you calling me dumb?"

"No, I'm calling you a natural."

"Naturally dumb."

"Yeah, he was born with it."

Then, Jenny spoke up with a giggle.

"By the way, Lance, she tried to flirt with Blue."

"Wait, what?"

Then, Keith decided to get to the task at hand.

"Look, I'm glad we're all making fun of Lance, but we still have to find a way out of here."

Then, Allura spoke up.

"Follow me. I know a way out."

Just then, Lotor spoke up on Jenny's monitor.

"You might find it best to exercise caution. My generals have called for my assistance."

Hunk grew pessimistic about it.

"Oh, man. It's always something."

Then, Lotor spoke again.

"Not to worry. We'll just need to get put of the planet and inform them the situation's changed."

Jenny looked to Lotor for an idea.

"How do we do that?"

Keith was the one who came up with an idea before he spoke.

"We need to form Voltron."

Allura shared her doubts about that idea.

"But we were not able to form Voltron the last time we tried."

"We have to keep trying. We may have come here fragmented and disorganized, but the only way we're getting out of here is if we work together. This is our team. Shiro and Ayame believed in us. We have to believe in ourselves. Who's with me?"

Then, the five main Paladins as well as Jenny, Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria shouted in agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Now, form Voltron!"

* * *

With that, the five Paladins forged Voltron while the White and Violet Lions transformed into their robot forms before Lotor's cruiser picked up three strange signals. Syn turned to Acxa for an answer.

"What's going on?"

"I'm picking up an energy signature I haven't seen before. Three of them, in fact."

Syn had a feeling what that meant.

"Voltron. And the two knockoffs that go with it."

As the three Voltrons took to the skies, Allura stated her excitement.

"Hunk, I'm a leg!"

"Pretty cool, right?"

Just then, Lotor spoke up.

"All hands, stand down. I'll be inviting the Paladins for a sit-down."

Among the soldiers, it spread confusion.

"A sit-down? Why would Lotor request that?"

In the cruiser, Acxa stated her surprise.

"So, they can form Voltron after all."

Syn smiled at this prospect as he knew it would benefit Lotor and his faction against Kaecilius.

"Good. The sooner we have Voltron, the better."


	31. Hole in the Sky

**Chapter 30:** Hole in the Sky

In Lotor's cruiser, the new Paladins, Adea, Luzria, and Atchiam were being introduced to his generals as he apologized for the ordeals he laid out.

"I must apologize for the ordeal on Thayserix. Like Jennifer suspected, it was a training method to help you reform Voltron. As for Planet Puig, the planet has been spared since the departure of both factions."

Luzria only glared at Lotor suspiciously as he spoke onward.

"Anyway, you've already met most of my generals. This is Ezor."

"Hello."

Adea walked up to Ezor and shook her hand as she smiled.

"Hi."

"This is Zethrid."

Atchiam got her right fist out as she spoke.

"Want to bump it?"

"'Bump it?'"

"You'll see."

Then, once Zethrid 'bumped it', Atchiam made her hand open up as it rose to the sky as she made a sound effect.

"That was a fist bump just blown up."

Zethrid spoke to her again as she bumped her fist against Atchiam's metallic gauntlet again.

"I like it."

Then, Lotor pointed out Narti to Jenny.

"This is Narti. Her species from which she hails can manipulate others mentally with physical touch as well as speak telepathically."

"Really?"

Then, Jenny decided to test that theory.

" _Testing. Testing. Can you hear me?"_

" _Yes, I can, Jennifer."_

That made Jenny gasp in shock before she put on a large smile.

"Cool!"

"Yes, quite. And this is Acxa."

Keith didn't need to be reminded.

"I know. We've met."

Acxa smiled at him, happy that he does remember her before Lotor moved on with the last two.

"And lastly, but not least, Syn and Kurziam. I do believe they've made your acquaintance on Planet Puig."

While Lapis looked at Syn with a smile, Luzria looked at Kurziam equally suspiciously.

"I'm not quite sure about you."

"Well, that makes two of us."

Just then, Lotor spoke up again.

"Anyway, I'm sure you have questions about my plans for universal peace."

Adea felt it was already obvious.

"Uh, yeah. That's the whole reason we're here."

"Well, then. Allow me to answer them. As you know, for 10,000 years, the Galra have plundered and robbed the universe of Quintessence. And under Omegus' charge no less."

Keith and Allura gathered as much from his time fighting.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"So? What's the plan for rehabilitating the Galra Empire?"

"I'll tell you once you help me with a favor."

Lapis grew concerned about what the favor could be.

"What favor?"

"See for yourself."

Then, Lotor brought up a beeping distress signal from far away, making Allura widen her eyes as Keith and Jenny looked to her.

"Allura, you okay?"

"Yeah. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Lotor explained the reason for it.

"That's the point. This distress signal was from an Altean spacecraft."

That gave Allura hope of seeing her kind again as she spoke.

"Could it be? Are we not the last Alteans alive?"

However, Keith wanted to be cautious.

"Wait. What if someone's closing the signal to try and lure us in?"

"The signal is coming from an Altean ship, and we're going to find it."

Lotor had to urge caution to Allura on the matter.

"Finding it is the easy part, Allura. But trying to enter it is the most difficult part."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Allura, is exactly that. And you can only find out the difficulty if you accept the favor."

That made Luzria all the more suspicious.

"I don't think that's the best idea. To start off, we have no idea what his plans are if he even has them. Second, he's just gonna ask us to do something for him with no strings attached? Doesn't this kind of thing seem too good to be true to anyone else? I don't think we should trust him."

Hunk could agree with her.

"Yes! Thank you, Luzria."

Taking that into account, Lapis spoke to Lotor directly.

"If you really want us to trust you, you have to tell us. Otherwise, how are we gonna trust you if we just do your mystery errands with no idea what they're for?"

Lotor kept his calm gaze at Lapis before he sighed.

"Very well. If it's the only way for you to cooperate. What I desire is to try to help any Altean survivors from that signal, if any. Along with that, I also require a trans-reality comet."

Allura widened her eyes at this.

"The trans-reality comet? But... that's how Voltron was created."

Jenny figured out the rest.

"I get it now. You're trying to create your own Voltron so that you can help protect the universe, too."

"More than that. I'm trying to preserve peace. With Kaecilius and his Druid Empire, that task is next to impossible."

"So, you're trying to get enough firepower to defeat him? Makes sense. But what about after?"

"After that, I'm planning to restore the universe to its former glory, to an age before my father became a puppet to Omegus."

Then, Jenny smiled at his intentions, knowing that Ayame was right about him.

"Okay. We'll go. Just on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You... need to stay with your dad. At least until we get that comet."

This made Lotor's eyes widen in shock from Jenny's suggestion.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. The guy's not possessed by Quintessence anymore, Dark or otherwise. In fact, you're the first person he asked about."

This made Lotor close his eyes as he pondered the situation. After a brief period of silence, Lotor answered back to Jenny.

"Fine. But only until you get that comet. Syn, you'll be acting Leader for the moment until I come back. When the time is right, you know what to do if things go south."

Syn smiled as Lotor walked with the Paladins.

* * *

Later, the Paladins were returning to the Castle with Lotor in tow as Alphus and Coran noticed them.

"The lions are returning, Alphus."

"Good."

Then, Alphus spoke to Jenny via radio.

"Jenny, what took you so long?"

"We had a bit of a training session of sorts."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain when we land."

As the White Lion landed, Alphus stood outside angrily, frustrated at having to put up with Zarkon for almost half a quintant.

"You better have a good explanation for this, young lady."

Jenny, used to her recent anger issues, responded flatly and sarcastically.

"Sorry, Mom. Believe it or not, I actually have someone you should meet."

With that, Lotor stepped out of the cockpit, causing Alphus to widen her eyes in shock.

"You... you actually brought him here?"

"He's the one who was training us to form Voltron again. And we didn't even know until the end. After that, we had a sit-down. Turns out, he's trying to find a trans-reality comet."

Alphus could already make a deduction about the use for it.

"The only reason he'd want it is to..."

Figuring out his plan, Alphus looked to Lotor and put on a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Lotor. For what it's worth, I don't believe things should have to come to this."

Lotor spoke back in the same meaningful tone as her.

"You have no need to apologize. These events are not of your doing."

Just then, they noticed Zarkon, Sneren, Vrathrea, Sandra, Belle, Babak, Coran, and Zaltron outside the hangar.

"My father, on the other hand..."

The father walked up to Lotor before he spoke.

"Son. You and I are going to have a talk. And trust me when I say this is extremely important."

"As if I should take heed from a tyrant."

Seeing father and son glare at each other, Jenny grew embarrassed, rethinking her proposal.

"Oh, boy. Does anyone else feel awkward?"

Then, Alphus spoke to her as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"It would probably be best to leave them be and let them sort it out."

With that, Alphus walked Jenny out of the hangar as she looked back at father and son.

* * *

At the main hangar, Allura was guiding the Castle to Lotor's coordinates that led to the distress signal. Once they arrived, Allura recognized the vessel.

"That looks like a Tel-Galax exploration shuttle. One of my father's deep space vessels."

As of that weren't enough, Coran found out something else.

"According to the ship's identification code, it's Commodore Trayling's ship."

Jenny grew confused at the name.

"Commodore who?"

Babak turned to Jenny as he answered her.

"Trayling. An old acquaintance of me and Kaecilius when we were allies. But when he disappeared, we never knew his mission."

Coran didn't fare any better.

"No luck from me, either. I don't see any records of its destination or mission."

Lance pondered as to what had occurred for a long time as Hunk and Sandra gave their two cents.

"What happened to it?"

"Is it stuck in a wormhole?"

"And If that's the case, where could it possibly lead to?"

Coran and Babak answered their queries.

"That's unlike any wormhole I've ever seen."

"I agree. This is beyond any caliber of the teludav."

Pidge took a look at the energy readings of the wormhole and revealed its origin.

"There's a massive amount of energy coming from it, centered right where the ship is stuck."

Alphus, having traveled on the comet to Daibazaal before, knew exactly what it was.

"It's a gateway. Like Lotor said it'd be."

Allura, however, was still stuck on her race's salvation.

"We have to see if anyone is aboard. They may need our help."

Pidge had an idea about how to approach it.

"We could send a probe over to it, see if we can get some kind of idea what this thing is?"

Keith was all in for that plan.

"Do it."

As a probe was launched from the ship, Pidge and Hunk scanned the wormhole further.

"The energy shows no signs of radioactive decay and it's not thermal."

"It's not gravitational. Our probe is still on course and the light is radiating out, not in, like it would in a black hole."

Needless to say, Adea was confused by their science talk.

"I have no idea what you guys are saying."

Luzria, however, knew the answer.

"It means this wormhole is leaking something out. But what?"

Babak had an idea as he witnessed it before in his line of work.

"That energy signature, I know it. It's radiating Quintessence!"

As they figured that out, the probe went in and vanished from sight, cutting off the castle's link to it, and frightening Adea, Hunk, and Lance.

"Where did it go?!"

"Ooh! That's weird."

"Okay, well, let's not go anywhere near there."

Allura was still determined to help them.

"We must."

Adea found herself in a panic as she spoke to Allura.

"Uh, did you not see what just happened?! It disintegrated!"

Then, she began hyperventilating, catching Atchiam's notice.

"Oh, no...! I can't breathe...!"

With that, Atchiam slapped Adea in the face.

"Calm down, Adea. You won't disintegrate."

"Ow... you didn't have to do it so hard."

"Voltron's compositional strength far exceeds anything else in this universe. We received an Altean distress call, which must mean that someone is alive on the ship. As Paladins of Voltron, it is our duty to help."

Keith didn't think it wise as he spoke to her.

"Princess, I still think there's a chance that this whole thing is a trap and that Lotor might be using us."

Babak focused on another issue.

"Even if it's not a trap, it's far too dangerous to go in there."

Jenny then took the opportunity and spoke up before Allura.

"I'm not saying I trust Lotor, but if there's a chance that the Galra Empire would be on our side for once, then we just have to take it."

"Beyond that, there could be survivors in there. I'll do it myself if I have to."

As Allura walked away, Keith looked at her as did Alphus and Jenny.

Later, they begrudgingly agreed to enter the wormhole with their individual Voltrons as Keith spoke.

"All right, lets take it slow. Pidge, any chance you can explain what I'm seeing right now?"

"The Euclidean space around the ship is obviously some kind of anomaly. But the energy source doesn't originate from anything that registers with my understanding of how reality works."

"I'll take that as a 'no.'"

Then, Hunk took over as he spoke.

"I'll scan the ship for biorhythms."

As he scanned it, he wasn't having any luck.

"That's strange. I'm not showing any signs of life on the ship."

Allura had a theory about the reason.

"Maybe not on this half, but there is more to this ship than we are seeing. We need to go through there."

Adea spoke up panicked at the idea of it.

"Are you kidding me?! You want us to disintegrate?!"

Then, Lapis spoke up before Keith.

"We're not going to disintegrate, Adea. Our Voltrons won't let it happen."

"Pidge, keep an eye on Voltron's vitals. Everyone, be prepared to abort if things get hairy."

Adea responded as she tried to leave the Violet Voltron in a space suit.

"Already ahead of you!"

Suddenly, the energy readings spiked up dramatically.

"Guys, my sensors are going crazy. Technically, we should be torn apart the same way the probe was. But somehow Voltron is completely unaffected by the stress of the spacial distortion."

At the Castle, Babak and Coran were having communication problems.

"Hello? What are you seeing?"

"We're losing visual. Hello?"

Suddenly, the link went off as the three Voltrons disappeared.

"No!"

Babak began to fear the worst.

"They've... they've been vaporized."

Then, he tended his fist as he knew who was responsible for it.

"Lotor..."

As he stormed off to the halls, Alphus followed him to try and calm him.

"Babak, wait."

The moment he reached the hangar, Lotor and Zarkon turned to see the furious Babak stomping toward the former as he spoke.

"I take it they went through the wormhole?"

"Oh, they did alright. And they got vaporized for it!"

With that, Babak grabbed Lotor and chucked him as far as he could with an angry shout before he got out his sword and tried to stab him with it before Alphus shouted.

"Babak! Stand down!"

"This murderer and deceiver must pay for what he did to the princess!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Babak! They're still alive! They just can't communicate with us, because they're on the different end of the wormhole!"

Then, Babak glared at Lotor before he put down his sword.

"Give me one more reason to think you're up to doing your father's work, and you won't live long enough to regret it."

As he walked away, Lotor looked at him with a glare before he turned to Zarkon.

"It appears as though I'm not welcome. I'll have to—"

"No. You're not going anywhere, Lotor. You're not welcome here, but you will remain here where I can keep an eye on you to be sure you don't have any ulterior motives in mind. Are we clear?"

Lotor's glare worsened as he spoke.

"Crystal."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the other reality, all three Voltrons had crossed over the wormhole with Adea still screaming before she opened her eyes and saw that nothing had happened.

"Oh! We made it! I told you we'd make it."

Lapis just rolled her eyes playfully.

"Yeah. Sure you did."

Then, Pidge spoke up to the team.

"We must have crossed through because that's the front of the ship."

Then, Allura had a thought cross her mind as neither Babak nor Coran have spoken to them.

"Wait."

As she turned Voltron around, she found nothing on the other side.

"The back half of this ship, it's gone! Babak! Coran! We've lost sight of the Castle. Coran, are you there?"

Keith was wondering where they could've gone in the meantime.

"Where did they go?"

Then, Lance spoke up next about a planet in front of them.

"And where did that moon come from?"

As Pidge took a look, it produced the same location they were on.

"According to my sensors, were still on Exactly the same place we were before."

Hunk found something else bizarre about it.

"Guys, this is gonna sound strange, but now I'm detecting multiple biorhythms aboard the ship."

Allura had a feeling about what it meant as Jenny felt the ship to be a mystery.

"Alteans."

"Don't know about that. Either way, it looks like we've only got one clue to figure out where the heck we are and where that comet is, and it's floating right over there."

Later, they dismounted from their lions and went in the ship, only to find nothing there. Allura turned her flashlight function of the gauntlet on as she spoke.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

As they looked around, Jenny got the heebie-jeebies as Lance did heavy breathing.

"Uh, guys? Anyone else feel like a big scary monster's gonna attack us at any moment? Because I do."

That made Hunk and Adea tremble at the thought.

"Oh, man. This place is totally freaking me out."

"Me, too."

"Does it feel like a haunted ghost ship to anybody else? Is it just us?"

Just then, they heard snarling from far away as well as a quick scurrying, catching Adea's attention as she darted her head behind her.

"Did you hear something?!"

Atchiam thought she was being paranoid.

"Calm down, Adea. There's no monster in here."

However, another snarling proved otherwise, causing her to tremble even worse.

"Uh, something's giving me the creeps. I need to get out of here!"

Before Adea can take off, Lapis grabbed her by the collar and dragged her with them, causing her to shriek before she put a finger over her helmet blocking her mouth.

"Quiet, Adea! We don't want to scare them away, whoever they are."

"Well, they're scaring _me_."

"I don't care. Just calm down, okay?"

With that, Allura and Jenny found a black pad before the latter placed her hand on it and turned it on. In doing so, they restored gravity and fell to the floor before Keith spoke.

"So, did the crew abandon ship?"

Lance then noticed a spacesuit set by the wall.

"I don't know, but they couldn't have gotten far without their spacesu—"

As Lance removed the helmet, he was met with a skeleton wearing a monocle, scaring him and Adea as they shrieked.

"Eek!"

"Those aren't empty!"

That made Allura worried.

"What happened to him?"

Jenny had an idea the worst has happened as she went to the pad and placed her hand on it.

"I don't think we'll like it."

As she did, a video file played, showing Commodore Trayling.

" _We locates the second comet based on King Alfor's information. We managed to get it aboard, but it seems to be causing massive disturbances. We're heading back to Altea, but I don't know if we'll be able to make it that far. At this rate—"_

Suddenly, a flashing light as well as a roar could be seen and heard as Trayling screamed before the video shut off. Having seen this, Jenny knew she was right.

"I knew it was like a horror movie!"

Hunk was more worried about the actual situation as he asked.

"What happened here?"

Lance had a dark theory behind the death of Trayling.

"Something deadly."

As Hunk looked at the biorhythms, he got confused.

"This still doesn't explain the biorhythms I picked up in this area."

Suddenly, a red and purple creature with two yellow, jagged eyes emerged from the air vent and roared, catching them by surprise and horror as its roar echoed throughout the ship. Before Adea could scream, Lapis covered her mouth, muffling it before she spoke.

"What is that thing?!"

Hunk was the first to answer as it looked left to right.

"I don't know! It attacked us when we were trying to get the Scaultrite from the Weblum."

In its vision, the Paladins and Blades of Marmora were having a blue and purple Quintessence around them, depending on the race. As for Jenny, she caught its interest with her light blue Quintessence before it darted at her. Lance noticed this and charged at it.

"Look out!"

Once in front of her, Lance shot at the beast, only for the lasers to go through it with no effect before it swiped its claws at him, knocking him to the wall urging Jenny to run away from it. As it took off for her and tried to grab her, Keith sliced its arm with his bayard and punched it farther away, but caused his hand to either in the process before it recovered, much to Lapis' worry.

"Keith! Are you okay?"

"I don't know. But whatever you do, don't touch it."

That proved difficult as the creature came close to that with it swiping its claws at the Paladins. Seeing the opportunity, Jenny shot her chain blade at it and trapped the creature.

"Gotcha!"

However, the creature was prepared for that as it easily slipped through the chain and leaped onto her as it seemingly swallowed her whole before Jenny could be seen writhing in agony as her skin aged and her sky blue eyes turned bright purple, much to Lance's worry.

"Jenny!"

As it feasted on her Quintessence, a purple orb hit it dead center, where Jenny was and knocked her out of it before she fell to the floor and moaned as her skin got younger again and her eyes changed back to normal. The creature turned to notice a masked figure with a green V over her helmet before she fired another orb at it and swerved it back and forth until the creature was no more. When the battle was over, two more figures showed up. One of the figures had multiple arms on the sides and a tail while the other was like the first before the second figure spoke up tough-like.

"Hah! Scavengers. I hate those things."

Lance then developed mixed feelings about the situation.

"Wow. Thanks for helping us. But who are you?"

The second figure grew distrustful.

"Why should we reveal ourselves to you?"

Then, the first figure spoke up.

"Enough, Slav. We owe them that much."

With that, the first figure removed her helmet and revealed herself to have short purple hair with light purple skin and purple eyes within yellow sclerae. That made Jenny's heart skip a beat while Keith looked on in surprise.

"No way... Ayame? Is that you?"

"How...?"

"It's not Ayame. My name is Xaira. And if you're with the Altean Empire, you'd better stay back."

"If you've come for the comet, you'll never get it. I'll die before I let it fall into Altean hands."

Then, the third figure removed his helmet to reveal a Raven-haired youth who looked similar to... Keith had to know for sure.

"Shiro? You're here, too?"

The youth responded to him in a Nordic accent.

"My name is not Shiro."

Then, Hunk got confused with the situation as he spoke.

"What the heck is happening here? Did everyone get amnesia and wake up with weird accents?"

Xaira got confused as well.

"You know us?"

Jenny responded confidently.

"Of course we do! You're Ayame's dark side. Your best friend was Kumiko in the Garrison. And we met a long time ago, too. Shiro, you're the Paladin of the Black Lion, and Slav, my sis rescued you from Beta Traz! Also, you're slightly crazy about other realities."

As Pidge put the pieces together, Xaira didn't seem to believe her.

"Look, I agree that Slav is crazy, but he's never been rescued by anyone, I'm not Ayame's dark side, I never had a best friend named Kumiko, Sven was never the pilot of whatever you just called it, and you're not my friend. Unless..."

Then, Xaira and Pidge spoke at the same time.

"...you're from an alternate reality."

"This is an alternate reality."

Hunk grew confused at their words.

"Uh, what's that now?"

"I think when we passed through that glowy, explode-y area, we entered an alternate reality."

"You mean like what Slav was always talking about? Well, not him. Well, him, yeah, but a different him. One that talks about alternate realities a lot."

Sven knew he was right.

"Oh, that's him."

Then, Xaira spoke up next, much to Jenny's chagrin of her words.

"That would make sense. Even the Alteans wouldn't let themselves get swallowed up by a scavenger."

"Hey!"

Allura then spoke to Xaira I'm flustered anger, remembering how her other counterpart tortured Ayame and Jenny.

"Why did you attack the captain and his crew?"

As Xaira answered, Slav expressed his indifference.

"We didn't attack them. We just found them like this."

"But I can't say I'm sorry they're gone."

Just then, Slav's wrist beeped as he picked up Altean biorhythms.

"Oh, no! More Alteans!"

That made Allura and Jenny surprised as they spoke at the same time.

"Wait! More Alteans?"

Xaira spoke angrily toward them.

"Their scanners must have picked up your arrival. I hope you're happy. Everyone, let's go!"

Then, Slav spoke to the others as they took off into the vent.

"If I were you, I'd run."

Once they got up, Lance grew confused.

"What the heck just happened?"

Jenny was more concerned about what she said.

"Did she say we're being boarded by Alteans?"

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal six Altean drones as well as a tall being, an Altean doctor with short, silver hair, a general with pink hair, and a girl with brown hair bearing blonde trails at the end of it with blue marks under her eyes and pointy ears. When Jenny saw the girl, she slowly gasped in reverence before the general spoke to them.

"Put down your weapons!"

As Allura gasped in exclamation she realized who they were, as Jenny noticed a familiar face that Ayame missed very much.

"Alteans!"

"Kumi?"

As the girl grew confused, the General grew surprised.

"It can't be."

With that, they took a knee as they bowed with the General and the girl speaking.

"Empress!"

The drones, the doctor, and the tall being took their turn to bow next as Adea blinked her eyes.

"Uh, what's going on here?"

Ignoring the Galra presence, Hira spoke to Allura.

"Are you Empress Allura?"

"I am Princess Allura. Please stand."

As they did, the General spoke.

"I am Commander Hira, Empress. And this is Iyera, my adopted child. How can you be here? You put down the corrupt Galra Uprising and established the Altean Empire 10,000 years ago."

Then, Jenny spoke up to her.

"Where we're from, all the Alteans were wiped out by Omegus when he possessed Zarkon and enslaved your planet."

As Hira and Iyera widened their eyes and glared at the Blades of Marmora, Jenny explained their presence.

"But not these guys. They're on our side."

Then, the doctor spoke to them.

"Where did you come from?"

"We came from a different reality."

As Jenny looked at Iyera, she noticed that she was looking with longing at her.

"What's up?"

"Who are _you_?"

"My name is Jennifer Shaybon. But my friends call me Jenny."

This made Iyera chuckle a bit.

"That's a weird name for an Altean. But... I like it."

* * *

Back in the normal reality, Lotor's generals waited for results while Acxa spoke to Syn.

"Amazing. Lotor's theory about Voltron was finally proven correct."

"Was there any reason to doubt?"

Zethrid stated her discontent with it.

"I was personally hoping to see some fireworks when it hit that energy swirl."

"And what makes you say that, Zethrid?"

"Dunno. I guess all of the previous attempts to get it out were just more enjoyable to watch. For me, not for his pilots."

"The only reason Voltron and the knockoffs made it through was because they're made of the same material as that comet that Alfor tried to hide from Omegus. Now, all that's left to do is sit back and watch as they bring the comet over to us."

Then, Zethrid spoke to Syn.

"But what about the Paladins?"

"What about them?"

"What if they are unable to escape the other dimension?"

Kurziam corrected her about the concept.

"It's another reality, Ezor."

Ezor sighed before she spoke again.

"What if they aren't able to escape the other _reality_?"

"If they made it through once, they can do it again. Besides, whether or not we get the comet, if Voltron and his group are wiped out, that's one less problem for us to deal with. It's practically a win-win situation."

* * *

In the alternate reality, Pidge went on the Green Lion to get a good look at the comet in the hold.

"This is the comet that Commodore Trayling must've been talking about in his transmission. It seems to be caught between two realities, just like the ship."

Then, the doctor spoke to Pidge as he and the tall being watched.

"Could you obtain a sample for us with your lion?"

"I can try."

Later, Pidge obtained a sample of the comet and placed it in a capsule before bringing it back to the lab. After which, Pidge analyzed it herself.

"Amazing. It's Voltron."

That caught Lance and the Blades by surprise as they exclaimed at the same time.

"What?"

"I mean, it's not Voltron, obviously. But the readings from this comet are the same ones Omegus was searching for. The same ones that led us to the Blue Lion."

This made sense to the doctor as to their entrance.

"That's how you were able to pass through to this reality. Your vehicles were made from the same trans-reality material."

This made Adea confused as she blinked her eyes.

"Vehicles?"

"I was referring to your lions, madame."

"Oh. Makes sense."

Hunk took his turn to speak next.

"So, that's why Voltron's so powerful."

The doctor was focused on another use for it.

"With this material, Altea can create their own trans-reality traveling ships. We can spread our peace and stability to all realities."

This made Luzria more suspicious of him than she ever was of Lotor as she watched the doctor speak to Hira.

"General Hira, I have just stumbled across something in this ship's hold that will ensure Altea's rule for millennia to come."

Luzria then muttered under her breath.

"Rule? Sounds like the new Galra Empire to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Iyera was showing Jenny around to her room, which was similar to Jenny's room in her reality. However, there were notable differences that can be seen. For instance, the bedroom was bright blue rather than dark. And the picture showed Iyera in front of the Altean Empire with Empress Allura and General Hira. As Jenny looked at the picture, she noticed that Empress Allura had actually gotten quite old for her state of being.

"Wow. 10,000 years, huh?"

"Yep. She's still alive here, but barely. Her Divine Quintessence could only keep her with us for so long, though."

Thinking about the possibility of Allura dying in this reality made her feel sorry for Iyera.

"I'm sorry."

However, Iyera only smiled at her.

"Don't be. Whoever takes over the Altean Empire next would likely follow her goal of peace. Hira made sure of that."

As Iyera noticed Jenny's look of reminiscence, she grew confused as the latter shed tears.

"What's wrong?"

Then, Jenny wiped her tears away before she spoke.

"I'm sorry. It's just... you really remind me of someone. For a while, I thought I was talking with her."

Iyera knew what she meant and spoke.

"Maybe you are."

This got Jenny surprised as she widened her eyes.

"Huh? You mean...?"

"Yeah. Iyera was a name given to me by Hira when she took me in. But my real name is Kumiko."

As Jenny gasped, she shed tears and hugged her tightly as she lightly sobbed while Iyera wrapped her hands around her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura spoke with Hira as Keith and Lapis walked with them.

"So, the Alteans of this reality defeated the Galra?"

"Led by you, My Empress. Without your will to fight and avenge the loss of your father and aunt, Altea would not have been able to spread peace and stability throughout the universe."

Outside, Xaira, Sven, and Slav were installing detonators on the ship before Sven spoke to them.

"That's the last of them."

"Do you think this plan will work, Slav?"

"Don't worry, Xaira. I'm 60 percent sure this is one of the .15 percent of realities where this plan works 100 percent of the time."

Xaira, remembering that Jenny wasn't hostile to her, spoke to Slav.

"Speaking of realities, do you think the people from the other reality will join the Alteans?"

"If they're really our friends from another reality, there's a 72 percent chance they'll figure out what's right."

* * *

Meanwhile, Iyera spoke with Jenny in the bedroom to catch up.

"You must've missed me for a long time, haven't you?"

Then, Jenny explained herself about what actually went down in her reality as far as relationships.

"Actually, I never met you in person until now. In my reality, you committed suicide because you were bullied in the Garrison. After that, my other friend, Ayame, distanced herself from everyone and that just... made it worse when she thought she lost them too. Then, a lot of crazy stuff happened and... well, long story short, Ayame gave up her life in battle to save all of us. I've never forgotten that, and I never will."

Then, Iyera smiled as she spoke.

"This Ayame sounded just like Empress Allura. She did the same for our reality, too."

This made Jenny curious about her friend's backstory.

"Come to think of it, what happened to you? What happened in _your_ reality?"

"Well... me and my family weren't exactly the richest people back on Earth. We always had to scrounge around scraps just to get food on the table. One day, my family decided it was no way for me to live, so I got sent to the Garrison. Like your Kumiko, I was bullied by the Garrison. Of all the bullies, though, James Griffin was the one who hurt me the most. I trusted him... and he _used_ me."

As she enunciated that word, Iyera trembled in anger, catching Jenny's worry about what she went through.

"That sounds awful."

"It was worse than that. I decided I didn't want to live in that world anymore. Then, I heard a voice. Yours. You told me that if people don't accept me for who I am, then it's their problem. You gave me a reason to live."

"I did that?"

"Yes. It's actually thanks to you that I'm standing right here. If it wasn't for you, Hira wouldn't have seen my plight and taken me in."

Then, Jenny made a next guess about her.

"And I'm guessing she made you Altean, too?"

"Actually, it turned out I was an Altean all along. It was just dormant in my genes. The moment I set foot in the Castle, I became one myself."

"No way! Me, too! I just thought the Castle was broken or something for a while, though."

Hearing this, Jenny and Iyera laughed before the former continued.

"So, what have you done since then?"

"Since then, I helped bring peace to the universe."

"How?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Hira spoke to Allura.

"Defeating Omegus was the first step, but we refuse to give up until all worlds know the true peace that Altea has achieved."

Allura smiled at her for that, knowing that peace could spread throughout the universe.

"That is so wonderful!"

Meanwhile, Luzria debated with the doctor in the prospect of it.

"No struggle, no wars. That just sounds too good to be true. That just can't be possible."

"Is it not? Look at Moxilous. For generations, his people have been in constant battle with the other planets in their system. It was a barbaric, futile existence. But look at him now."

As they did, Adea waved to him as Atchiam grew curious.

"Hello."

"So what changed?"

"The hoktril."

With a snap of his fingers, Moxilous turned around and revealed a device on the back of his head.

"Our civilization's most advanced technological achievement."

Lance grew curious about its function.

"What does that do?"

"It saps the fighting force from our enemies. Their will, you might say."

This made everyone in the room gasp.

* * *

Jenny, having learned of the hoktril from Iyera, was utterly shocked at the use for it.

"It does what?!"

"It eliminates any dangerous fighting impulse a being has. Though, they're only used when diplomacy is thrown out the window. You can guess how often that's happened."

"Well, can you blame them?! Nobody wants their brain washed!"

"I know. But... it's better than letting everyone else suffer like I did."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hira spoke with Allura.

"Advancements have been made. Citizens that might have been casualties of war in Empress Allura's day can now be rehabilitated. Entire races who warred for millennia can now know peace and help us to further our new world."

"So, they become part of the Altean peace movement?"

* * *

Hunk had a different take on the matter.

"You mean, slave labor?"

"Oh, no, no. They're not slaves because they don't have will. Slaves are always trying to escape or revolt. The non-cogs are content doing what they're told."

That made Luzria confused.

"Non-cogs?"

"Non cognitive beings, my dear. It means they're unable to think of any rebellious act that could threaten the peace we've tenaciously worked toward. Preservation of life is the Altean Empire's highest priority. And with this material, we can do even more than we thought possible."

* * *

However, Jenny was adamant on her position.

"Are you sure this is the right way? Doesn't that sound like something the Galra Empire would do?"

"What we had in mind is different. We're doing this for peace and to save lives, not to enslave people."

"Enslaving people is exactly what you're doing!"

As Jenny let the silence hang in the air for a moment, Iyera spoke to her.

"You just don't get it, do you? You don't know what I've seen, Jenny. I've seen people killing one another, and it was... it was murder. We're putting an end to all of that, so no one else will see it."

"Maybe you're not the one getting it. There's gonna be bad people in every reality. Any reality that doesn't is just... it's just beyond the realm of possibility. But bad people can change, too. The Galra that came with us, they're on our side, and we didn't need that hoktril or whatever you call it. They did it because they wanted the same thing. Peace."

Iyera grew surprised at this before reminding herself of her bad experience.

"I believed that, too, once. And I was humiliated for it. I won't let that happen to me ever again. For your own good, I suggest you do the same."

* * *

Keith took his turn to speak against Hira.

"But you're taking away their free will."

"The same will that would end your life with no remorse. Thanks to us, no innocent will lose its life to the free will of an evil being."

Lapis tried to open her mind up to Hira.

"But not all Galra are evil. We strive for the same goals as you."

"If that were true, your Altea wouldn't have been enslaved. What good is your word exactly, Galra?"

As Lapis growled, Hira spoke to her again.

"Empress Allura, let me show you something."

With that, Hira used her gauntlet to summon a holographic scale of their planet.

"This is our Altea. Come with me. Allow me to show you the magnificence it has achieved."

* * *

Far away, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria were speaking with each other.

"Is anyone else getting a strange vibe from these guys?"

"Yeah, there's definitely something off about _these_ Alteans. I mean, is it me or did they pretty much scramble the big dude's brain?"

Adea shuddered at the thought.

"I don't want my brain scrambled!"

Just then, they heard footsteps and saw Jenny with her head down. Being the first to notice, Lance tried to speak to her.

"Jenny, there's something off about them. They just told us that—"

"I know. Iyera told me. And... she actually supports that. Why would she? This goes against everything she believes in..."

Suddenly, an air vent grating fell to the ground, catching their attention as they exclaimed before Xaira spoke.

"Over here."

Lance grew surprised to see them.

"Whoa! How'd you find us?"

Slav tried to explain before Lance interrupted.

"I figured there was a high probability that—"

"Wait, stop. Nope. Never mind."

Then, Pidge spoke to them next.

"We gotta get to Keith, Lapis, and Allura and figure out a way to stop the Alteans from getting that comet."

"Already on it. We just need to do one more thing and you guys can help."

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a bunch of Altean drones as Atchiam and Slav spoke.

"Oh, quiznak."

"Perfect!"

"I had a feeling the Guns of Gamara were on this ship. But I didn't know Empress Allura's friends would be working with them."

Just then, Iyera walked in from the shadows as she spoke angrily.

"Neither did I."

Then, Jenny turned to see Iyera with an angry look on her face.

"Kumi..."

"So... you're just like James. You've been _using_ me!"

"No, it's not like that!"

"Stop! I've had enough of your lies! I'll never forgive you!"

Struck by her words, Jenny only held her head down as tears escaped her eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Allura spoke to Hira as she deactivated the map.

"Returning to Altea... it seemed like such an impossible dream, I could never allow the thought."

Keith tried to convince Allura otherwise.

"Allura, this might not be the Altea you remember."

"You're right. This Altea is Home to a people who made sure that the Galra scourge was unable to spread across the universe, as it did in your reality. Empress, I assure you, we will do everything in our power to help. The comet in this ship's hold possesses the ability to travel between realities. If you will activate this ancient ship's power, we can fly forward and remove the comet from the tear. We can use it to travel to your universe and bring peace there, even to the Galra."

Lapis, having learned of how they achieved it, spoke differently.

"You have a very skewed perception of peace, you know that?"

"Lapis is right. Maybe you should think about this, Allura. It wasn't that long ago we thought all Galra were bad. Maybe things aren't as black and white as she's making them out to be."

"Keith, Lapis, these are my people, and they may be the strongest allies we have in this war."

With that, Allura stood in the podium and held her hands out as two more panels rose up to touch them, turning the ship on and moving it forward.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the normal reality, Babak and Coran were trying to find a way to reach them as the mice squeaked.

"I tried every scan and test I can think of, Coran. There's no sign of either Voltron anywhere."

As a mouse squeaked at him, Babak spoke back to it.

"You're right. I should've forbidden it. I could've stopped it from happening."

"How could you have stopped him, Babak? You know how she is."

"I could've done anything! Can't you understand that?! She could be dead for all we know!"

However, to disprove this, the ship began moving forward and caused the rift to disappear altogether before Babak and Coran spoke at the same time.

"Not good."

* * *

In the other reality, Hira congratulated Allura.

"You've done it, Allura. Soon, we'll use the comet to spread peace throughout every reality."

Just then, the drones marched in along with the doctor, Iyera, and their captives, catching Allura's notice.

"What is going on?"

"Empress, the Guns of Gamara have infiltrated this ship. These people were working with them."

Atchiam and Adea spoke against it, though the latter was more panicked.

"I object! They had no witnesses! I was framed!"

"Uh... I-It's society's fault! I'm young and impressionable! Video games made me do it!"

That made Lance glare at her.

"Hey!"

"Sorry."

Then, Keith spoke to the doctor angrily.

"Let our friends go!"

Despite their situation, Xaira spoke to Allura.

"Look around you, Allura! By turning the universe into an army of slaves, you finally got peace, but at the expense of freedom! Is that what your father wanted?!"

"Slaves? Is this true?"

The doctor spoke out against her as he glared.

"Non-cogs are not Slaves! You're the ones who spread chaos and destruction! We're going to scan that brain of yours and get every last rebel location. Finally, our wars can end."

Iyera then glared at Jenny as she spoke.

"And it'll be a long time coming."

With that, Iyera got a sword out from her gauntlet before pointing it at Xaira's throat before she spoke.

"Tell me, Xaira. You seem to have hidden them very well, because we had no luck finding them. So, please tell me. Where are your people?"

But, of course, Xaira gave her straight answer to Iyera.

"I'll never hand them over to you monsters!"

Still trying to bring out the good in her, Jenny spoke again.

"Please, Iyera. Stop this..."

Still reeling from her betrayal, Iyera kicked her in the face.

"SHUT UP!"

Seeing this, Lance tried to get back at her.

"Hey, leave her alone!"

However, the drones stopped him from getting any closer.

"You betrayed your own kind, and you expect me to forgive you?!"

As Iyera received no answer, Jenny instead began to cry as she looked at her with a cut on her head that went over her right eye with blood pooling down as tears.

"All I ever wanted was to help you realize what you're doing. I don't understand. Am I not good enough for you?"

As Iyera looked down at the damage she had done, Keith and Lapis turned to Allura.

"Allura, we cannot let this happen."

"We have to do something."

"Hira, please. We both want the same thing. Peace."

"Do we? Your weakness has brought nothing but pain and suffering to your people at the hands of the Galra."

As she heard those words, Iyera widened her eyes, shocked at Hira calling her Empress weak before looking to Jenny, who was still broken by her words as tears came down like a waterfall.

"We have brought peace and order to ours. And, with this comet, we will bring our peace to every reality. You're no Empress of mine."

Then, Iyera decided she'd had enough. What she did to Jenny was the last thing she wanted to happen to anyone else. Yet, despite her beliefs, it happened anyway. The more she thought about it, the more Jenny seemed to take priority as her words echoed.

" _There's gonna be bad people in every reality. Any reality that doesn't is just... it's just beyond the realm of possibility. But bad people can change, too."_

Finally, Iyera spoke angrily to Hira.

"And you're no Altean."

Stunned by her words, Hira turned to Iyera.

"What?"

"How dare you call our Empress weak! How dare you enslave all of those people and rob them of their free will! And how dare you use me to torture these people just to prove a point!"

"Iyera..."

"No! I won't take orders from a tyrant! For all I know, you're no better than the Galra!"

That made Hira's eyes widen in shock while Jenny looked up to her in wonder, hoping her words had gotten through to her.

"Iyera?"

"No, Jenny. Call me Kumi."

Hearing this, Jenny smiled back at her before Hira growled while Allura, Keith, and Lapis got out their bayards while Slav laughed triumphantly, catching Adea's confusion.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because this is the reality where everything works out fine."

Suddenly, the detonators went off, causing everyone to everyone to lose their balance for a moment before Slav spoke again.

"Just in time."

With that, Keith tossed his bayard at the drone, stabbing it before most of the captives ran to the other.

"Dogpile!"

Meanwhile, Jenny went onto her back and moved her arms above her legs before Iyera cut the handcuffs off with her gauntlet.

"I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

"I don't blame you one iota. You were just hurt. I know."

Then, Allura used her bayard to attack Hira, only for her to use the gauntlet to summon a sword and catch it before using her open arm to fire at Allura, forcing her to roll before slamming Hira onto the floor.

"Let's go."

With that, Iyera nodded to her.

"Yes, Empress."

That made her confused before Jenny spoke to her.

"She just really looks up to you."

"I see."

* * *

With that, all of the Paladins and Blades plus one Altean took off from the hangar and made a break for their lions. However, they were stopped by Altean drones before they were forced to take cover as Keith spoke to Pidge.

"Pidge, which way to the lions?"

"To the left!"

As Lance managed to shoot down the drones in front of them, he noticed more of them coming from the left and stood like an antelope in headlights as they shout at him. Jenny noticed this and didn't want to lose him.

"Lance!"

She was about to take the bullet when Xaira intervened and blocked the bullet with her palm, sending it back to the drones before she turned to Lance.

"What are you doing standing around here? Just go!"

As Xaira fired her orbs at the drones, a bigger problem arrived: a scavenger. This peeved Adea off.

"Oh, come on! Can't we just have At least a day without scary monsters?!"

It noticed the drones and attacked them, tearing them apart while Slav noticed an airlock lever and had a plan.

"Everyone, hang on!"

As Slav bounced around the walls, the scavenger tried to consume him, only for him to avoid the creature before it shot yellow lasers at him. However, the lasers had missed him as well before Slav pulled on the lever, opening the gate and dragged the creature out to space as it roared. As they held on, Lance turned to Atchiam.

"Does he do this in every reality?!"

"Only the ones where he's cool!"

"Xaira, Sven, and I'll hold them back. You just get to your lions!"

* * *

With that, the Paladins, Blades, and Iyera activated their helmets as they got to their designated lions with the recent renegade joining Allura.

"This is all my fault. I activated the ship. They're going to dislodge the comet and have the power to terrorize every reality."

Just then, Xaira spoke to Allura.

"You can still make this right, Allura. You just need to get the comet away from them."

With that, Keith spoke to Pidge.

"Pidge, scan for the comet."

Once he did, he found the location of it.

"Yep. Already picked up on its elemental signature."

"Everyone, were going back in to get it. Form Voltron!"

* * *

With that, Voltron had been forged just as the White and Violet Voltron transformed to accompany it. Then, they tore into the hold and seized the comet, leaving Lance to ponder what to do next before Pidge answered him.

"Okay, now what?"

"We need to find the exact spot we came in or else we might not make it home."

* * *

On the ship, Hira spoke to the doctor.

"Take them down. Engage thrusters."

"Thrusters ready. Huh?"

Suddenly, the ship's engines powered down.

"What's happening?"

"We've lost thrusters! We're unable to pursue!"

* * *

As Slav disassembled the thrusters, he spoke with ecstasy.

"I love this reality!"

* * *

Hira then growled before she spoke.

"This is like Kaecilius all over again. But not this time. Take them out!"

Suddenly, they began blasting at the escaping groups just as Pidge found the spot to travel in.

"I've found it!"

As Voltron pushed it through, the rift opened up while the White Lion got behind it and activated its particle barrier to use as a shield. As the ship's blue-green ion cannon charged and fired, the White Lion braced it as the three machines entered the rift before it disappeared, much to Hira's chagrin.

"No!"

* * *

In the other reality, Babak and Coran noticed the rift opening up and noticed the three Voltrons and the comet as the two grew relieved.

"Ahaha! You're back!"

"Oh, thank the ancients! Paladins, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Allura was able to patch through to him.

"Yes, Coran. We're fine."

However, the moment didn't last much longer as suddenly, Lotor's ship began firing at the Castle and the Voltrons, although the White Lion made it unscathed as it had its particle barrier up. That was enough for Babak to make a guess.

"Lotor! He's been using us!"

As he ran to the room, he noticed that Alphus and Zarkon are unconscious in shock before he ran to the former as the latter tried to stand up on his own.

"Alphus!"

As she groaned, Babak turned to Zarkon.

"Zarkon, what happened?!"

"Lotor. He had one of his generals, Syn, attack us and help him escape. It was all a trick, just like I feared."

Babak felt it was to be expected.

"What else is new?"

"He's part Druid. That's why you didn't hear us when he attacked."

"Good to know."

* * *

To prove this, Lotor spoke to the Paladins and the Castle.

"Thank you for answering my distress signal, Voltron."

As Lotor captured the comet, Jenny, still reeling from the hurt she endured as well as Lotor's recent betrayal, she spoke angrily at him.

"Well, now I really know how Kumi felt, because now I'm MAD!"

With that, Jenny thrusted her bayard into the lever and twisted it in order to summon a chain blade and used it to take the middle of the comet. As the two forces pulled against it, none of them knew that the comet was fracturing. It was only when Jenny shouted out in anger did the comet beak in two, leaving blue light to leak out from the split halves, much to Lotor's shock.

"No!"

While Jenny managed to get one half of it, Lotor ended up with the other. However, without the full set, it's take even longer to create his own Voltron as he growled at Jenny before he took off with that half as Jenny glared at them while Coran spoke again.

"Paladins, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Allura then responded to him.

"Coran, we're here."

Just then, Luzria spoke up.

"Normally, I don't like to gloat, but I told you so!"

In the Blue Lion, Iyera spoke to Jenny.

"Jenny... I'm really sorry for what I did to you."

"I told you. I get it. I'm the one who should be sorry. For losing faith in you. When you hit me I... I thought I made a mistake. But I'm so glad you proved me wrong."

* * *

Later, Allura sat alone on the hangar as Jenny (who now has her right eye wrapped in bandages), Keith, and Iyera walked up to her.

"My Empress..."

"Please, Iyera, just call me Allura."

"Um... Allura, you did the right thing. You couldn't let Hira get that comet."

"But now, Lotor has it."

"So do we. It did split apart, after all."

"Jenny's right. Besides, you didn't know."

"That is the problem. We never know. And that is exactly why my father sent the lions away so many years ago. To avoid this reality. I finally understand."

Jenny then decided to help Allura be positive.

"Well, if there's a bright side to any of it, at least we have half and they do. I don't know if there's much to work with, so come on, what can they do with half?"

"More than you think. Lotor is always one step ahead of us. He has a plan for that ore, and if he succeeds, the Galra will finally have a weapon as powerful as Voltron."

Just then, Alphus came in, still recovering from Lotor's supposed assault, catching Jenny's attention.

"Alphus. What is it?"

"I have something to tell you."

"Well, what's up?"

"While I was unconscious after Lotor attacked me, I've found it. The rest of Shiro's Quintessence."

"What?! You've found Shiro?!"


	32. Isolation

**A/N: Hello. I added in what happened to Ayame once Haggar (Honerva) had cast her to her chambers. Along with that, I added a new character named Zixal and he is voiced by Ron Perlman. And the mother of Kumiko makes her appearance too, she will be voiced by Cynthia Cranz while other important figures like Shiro's father will be voiced by Christopher Sabat, young Shiro by Brina Palencia, and young Ayame by Elise Baughman. Also, in case you've forgotten, Yuriko Shirogane, her mother, will be voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter 31:** Isolation

In the Central Command, Ayame was just tossed into a dark chamber by two Druids before the door closed. Once they did, Ayame began giving labored breaths as the Quintessence injected into her began changing her as her normal skin turned light purple before her raven hair changed color followed by her eyes blanking out in a yellow color. Following this, Ayame gave a deep breath followed by a smirk as her eyes opened.

Suddenly, Ayame woke up inside a dark background before she noticed herself far away. For her, it could only mean one thing.

"Xaira."

Xaira then turned around before smiling at her.

"I told you. One of these days, I'll be able to break free. Did you think I was kidding?"

"No. But this is _my_ body _,_ Xaira. Give it back."

"Why should I? Do you even deserve it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your own mother died because of you. If you weren't born at all, she'd have been better off."

This made Ayame furious as she lunged at her.

"Don't you dare desecrate her memory!"

Before she could hit Xaira, she vanished in a dark most as she chuckled before she kicked him in the back as she spoke.

"Pathetic."

Then, Ayame glared at her dark side before she reached for her bayard, only to realize it wasn't present as she gasped.

"Where is it?"

"It's not in your head, that's for sure."

Ayame then yelled as she then engaged in fisticuffs only for Xaira to hold her fist back with her dark purple orb and pushing her away with a shockwave before she laughed.

"It's nice having this much Quintessence on my side. You're so missing out."

"Enough!"

"I'm serious, though. How can you be so scared of something that can be so thrilling?"

"Because I'm not like you! And I never will be!"

"Hmph. So now the coward is playing tough."

Then, she clenched her hand before she pushed the air toward her which Ayame was forced to brace as her dark side spoke.

"Why don't you come fight me again when you're really ready to fight me? Until then, hope you don't miss me."

With that, Ayame couldn't resist anymore and wound up swept away into the darkness as she yelled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro woke up to find himself upside-down in a pod that is dangerously close to falling over as he noticed there was a piece of it holding him back from falling before he attempted to lift it in order to be free of it. As he did, the ship tipped over, causing a blaster to fall to the floor and lean close to the edge as Shiro reached for it. Though it was far, Shiro was able to reach it before he fired it at the debris holding him captive, dropping him to the floor before he attempted to run out of it as it fell. Once he jumped out, the ship fell completely before he was able to grab onto an edge and pull himself back up before he fell to the floor. After resting for a bit, Shiro got back up only to notice he's been wounded in the leg. Although, the damage wasn't too bad as he just bore a determined look before walking onward.

* * *

At the command center, Honerva was in her chamber, remembering Jenny's role in Kaecilius' burning and defeat. In that moment when she bested him, Jenny reminded Honerva of someone brave as she spoke of her.

"A true Altean. If only my people were as strong-willed and determined as you and your princess."

Just then, a Galra general walked in before switching her skin color to that of "Haggar's".

"General Raht, I have an assignment for you."

"I serve in the name of Galra."

"I fear Lotor's focus wavers since his return. I knew there was a risk in bringing him back after such a long absence. And I worry about the path he leads us down. I need you to keep an eye on him. Follow his battle cruiser and report any suspicious behavior to me."

With that, Raht used his metal arm to place his hand against his chest.

"Vrepit Sa."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame slowly woke up to notice that she was in a lab while a baby cried far away. Ayame ran to the source of that crying until she noticed Zarkon holding her before her crying had ceased as the child looked up at her with a smile before he turned to the scientist.

"She's a strong one. You're free to make the injection."

"Yes, my emperor."

As the scientist made the injection, the baby felt the needle puncture her skin as she whimpered before Zarkon cradled her as he soothes her and her eyes became yellow for a moment before changing back to normal with purple irises. It was at this moment that Ayame figured it out.

"Of course. What Komar did to me wasn't the first time. It was... when I was just born."

Then, the background changed to see Yuriko at Haggar and Kaecilius' mercy as he spoke her sentence to his emperor.

"Yuriko Shirogane, you have a witness who has testified that you committed grave sins against the gods: lechery, infidelity, and adultery with pure intent. How do you plead?"

Then, she stood up and glared at him as she spoke proudly.

"I plead guilty."

"Mom?"

"So, you admit that you have sinned. Do you seek forgiveness?"

"No. I don't. Because I believe in the Paladin he is. Maybe he won't come today, or tomorrow, or even 10,000 years more. With or without me, he _will_ come back. Or if he doesn't... at least our child will make the Galra Empire better than it is now. Then the universe can finally be at peace."

Hearing her say this, Ayame grew saddened as her tears showed through.

"M-Mom..."

Kaecilius glared at her before he turned to Zarkon.

"So, you refuse to recant. Perhaps the Emperor would like to make a plea of mercy on her behalf?"

Zarkon only glared at her before he spoke.

"I... think not. I have no more use for her. You and Haggar have my permission to end her."

With that, Kaecilius bore a wicked grin.

"In that case..."

With that, he and Haggar stretched their hands out to the accused as they spoke at the same time.

"May the gods have mercy on your soul..."

Ayame tried to stop it as she shouted to them.

"No, stop!"

However, it was too late. Kaecilius and Haggar bombarded her with dark Quintessential lightning, earning no scream for her as she knew it would end and that no matter how long it took, the universe will know peace. As Ayame grew tearful at this sacrifice, Zarkon spoke to Kaecilius.

"Take her away and bring the child to me."

"Yes, my emperor."

As Kaecilius dragged her body away, Ayame then broke down in tears as she fell to the floor and remembered Xaira's words to her.

"She... she was right. She was better off without me. Why bring me into this world if she was going to die? Why would you do that for me?"

Then she listened to her words as if they echoed in her mind.

" _...at least our child will make the Galra Empire better than it is now. Then the universe can finally be at peace."_

Then, she gasped and got up on her feet before noticing that Yuriko was in bed with Zarkon who looked outside with uncertainty, catching her attention.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's... it's nothing."

"Zarkon, If you have anything to say to me, now is the time."

Zarkon hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"The truth is... I... I love you. But... once our child is born... you would... be terminated for this."

"Then so be it."

This made Ayame confused before she spoke.

"I've... had a good run anyway. It's our daughter I'm worried about. If she were to die, all hope for the universe would be lost. As would your freedom. I don't even care what happens to me after this. Not anymore. This... this whole thing is bigger than me. If me dying means the universe would be free soon, I'd do this all over again."

This made Ayame feel better as she rubbed her eyes free of her tears.

"Right. She must've known it would happen to her one way or the other. If she tried to escape... it would've only made things worse for everyone else. She knew it had to be done. For the universe, not just for Earth. Now, I understand."

Then, Ayame closed her eyes as she smiled.

"Thank you so much, Mom. I'll never forget what you did for me."

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a dark mist around Zarkon. At that moment, his greatest fear was losing Yuriko and her child. With that, she then looked over to her mother's greatest fear. Of course it was no surprise that she was greatly concerned for her daughter as Ayame felt it. Surprised by this ability, she canceled it out before looking at her hands.

"What did I just do?"

With that, Ayame then noticed a bright door of light before she walked into it, but not before she took her deep breath, working up the courage to go up against her next trial.

* * *

At the ice planet, Shiro was walking alone in the icy field, stumbling along the way before forcing himself back up each time. Eventually, he'd made it to a cave where he wrapped a bandage around his leg before using his robot arm to burn the wound, earning his scream in the process. After that, Shiro looked at where he was sitting as he noticed the skeleton bones next to him traveled up all the way to the ceiling, leading him to assume that it was a big prey that was killed.

"What killed you?"

The next day, Shiro went back to a cold waltz, a pioneer with no goal on sight, until he'd noticed an oasis far ahead. Instinctively, he ran towards it and drank the water with haste. As he caught his breath, however, something moved toward him. It appeared to be a small island with nothing on it. When it bursted out of the water did its true form appear as it roared at the Black Paladin. Shiro tried to run from it only to be thwacked by the creature which then took off toward him before slamming its claw into the ground as he dodged. When it tried to strike again, Shiro caught his claw with his hands and held it back before letting it go past him. Using the momentum, he went on top of it and tried to attack it, but his hand could not penetrate through the shell before its appendages grabbed him and flung him to the floor before the alien crab prepared to feast upon him as Shiro spoke weakly.

"Help!"

Suddenly, several blasts hit it in the leg, before it was forced to retreat into the oasis as Shiro saw two unfamiliar faces as the big one spoke.

"This must be the one that crashed the pod."

With that, Shiro's eyes closed before he passed out and the two strangers captured him, unaware of a masked General watching from afar.

At Kaecilius' cruiser, Vantiv received a report before she gave it to him.

"Hmm. That's odd. A day later, and he's already found reinforcements."

Kaecilius then spoke to his mate.

"Perfect. The instant he even tries leaving his icy tomb, our general shall endeavor to reclaim him and subject him to an even worse fate."

That made Varek remember another detail.

"And what of Xaira?"

"If we should encounter her in any period, you will get the satisfaction of terminating her. Would that please you?"

Varek smiled as he summoned a purple aura blade from his gauntlet.

"Of course."

* * *

When Ayame opened her eyes, she found herself at a grassy field where Ulaz's craft landed.

"Wait. Am I home?"

Then, she noticed Ulaz speaking with the oldest of the three, two of them being children as one of them was held by Ulaz.

"I'm sorry to say that your wife... didn't survive. She used what little time she had to bring her into this world. She had hopes that she would bring peace to the universe."

As the father cradled the child, he looked to Ulaz and smiled.

"I see. She must've been worth the effort for it to happen the way it did. I'll honor her by raising her like my own child."

As Ayame smiled at her father staring at her child, she began to have tears as she wiped them with her hand before the scene instantly changed to that of a hospital where her father laid unmoving. That memory was one that she remembered all too well, even for her age back then. Her father had perished at the hands of cancer and she walked up to him as if to speak to him one last time. Before she could, though, she heard the doctors' voice speaking to the children far away.

"I'm sorry, but... your father... he couldn't make it."

That made the young Shiro concerned while the younger Ayame shed tears before she ran out to him.

"No! No, he couldn't have died! He can't!"

The older Ayame watched as her younger self ran through her like a ghost before the doctors tried to stop her before she clutched onto him.

"Please, don't go, daddy! I need you!"

Then, the doctors were forced to carry her out as she screamed.

"No! Let me go! I want my daddy! I want my dad!"

As the little girl cried hysterically at this, the older Ayame then looked to her father before sitting beside him.

"Why did you agree to this, Dad? You didn't have much time with us. You could've just as easily picked someone else to look after us. Then you would've lived longer. But you didn't. Why? We... We weren't ready to lose you!"

As her hand touched his face, she began to hear her answer in surprise, as if listening to his last thoughts.

" _Please understand... a man who has not prepared his children for his own death has failed as a father. Have I ever failed you?"_

Hearing this, Ayame widened her eyes before she noticed Shiro and Ayame alone on the chairs as the girl cried beside him. Shiro then put his arms around Ayame as she looked up to him.

"It'll be okay, Ayame. I promise I'll look out for you, no matter what?"

"But... what if you leave me, too?"

"I'll never leave you. You're worth it."

As the young Ayame hugged him back, the older one realized what their father had been doing before he died.

"Of course. Dad... he was preparing Shiro for this very moment. Whenever he wasn't with me, he was teaching him how to look after me... until I was ready to be on my own."

Then, she walked over to the children before she hugged them with a smile as she looked at her younger self. When she finished, Ayame walked away from the children before pushing the doors open, leading to another light as she walked into it.

* * *

At the icy planet, Shiro heard voices as he woke up.

"Well, what's he saying?"

"I don't know, but he's coming out."

Shiro then noticed he was hanging on a pipe with rope tied around his hands before he tried to lift himself off, only to catch their attention.

"What's that noise?"

"Let me check."

As the big one lifted the tarp, he noticed Shiro before he stopped.

"He wakes."

"Did you remember to put the clamp on him?"

"Which clamp?"

"The one that keeps his arm from turning into a weapon."

"The red one?"

"It's the only clamp we have! Ugh!"

With that, the two of them walked over to Shiro with the shortest of the two up front before their prisoner spoke to him.

"Where am I? Why am I tied up?"

"I say we eat him."

"He doesn't look Galra."

"Does that mean we can't eat him?"

"We're not going to eat him."

"I'm not Galra."

"Even worse. He's a traitor."

"I'm not a..."

Before he could finish, Shiro realized who they really were.

"You're... you're rebel fighters."

"That's right. We stand against the Galra. We haven't thrown our lot in with them like you have!"

"I'm not working with them. I'm on your side. My name is Shiro. I'm a Paladin of Voltron, but I was captured... I think. I was fighting Zarkon."

Of course, the biggest of the fighters didn't believe it as he laughed.

"Fighting Zarkon? Right, and I'm the Phloban of Gargalax."

"Please, have you heard of Voltron? The lions. I need to know... what happened to them? How much time has passed?"

"The Galra have been sending scouts to try and flush us out for years. And now they send you to infiltrate us. Hmm, a joke."

"They didn't send me. I escaped."

The shortest found that just as hard to believe as he scoffed.

"Escaped a Galra battle cruiser?"

That made them laugh before the biggest countered.

"I'm not buying it!"

"It's true. I took a pod. They fired at me. My pod took a hit. They wouldn't do that if I was friendly. Please, contact the Blade of Marmora or Voltron to verify my identity."

However, they didn't want to take any risks.

"And send a signal that can be tracked? Uh, no."

"Look around you. Our food and supplies are limited at this outpost. We have no problem watching you starve until you start telling the truth."

With that, they walked away, leaving Shiro hanging on the pole.

* * *

In space, Lotor was contemplating Jenny's decisive action to stop him, only to take half of the trans-reality ore. As he pondered this, Lotor tensed at the thought of her.

"It seems she's proving a more formidable adversary than even Allura. I'll have to be careful about this one."

Just then, Acxa found a strange pattern before speaking to Lotor.

"Prince Lotor, that anomaly is registering on our scanners again."

"Get the coordinates. I want a visual."

As Acxa did that, they noticed that nothing was there, at least according to the scanner.

"There's nothing."

Ezor felt it to be obvious.

"What are you expecting?"

Lotor then made his reasons for it known.

"I don't think three strange readings in a day are a coincidence."

Zethrid was led to assume the worst.

"We're being followed?"

Acxa has her doubts about it while Syn believed otherwise in her thoughts.

"We'd know."

"Unless they had our scanner protocols. They must be counteracting our measures."

"But who would know our protocols other than the Galra?"

That made Syn have an idea.

"Perhaps someone suspicious of us."

"It seems you're not too off the mark there, Syn. Bring up heat detectors and set blasters to fire around the anomaly."

Zethrid clearly wasn't happy with that.

"Around it? I say we hit it!"

"I want to know who's after me."

"And we need to find out what he knows. Because if he knows too much..."

Syn then got out his luxite katana as he spoke.

"He won't be leaving alive."

With that, Lotor's ship fired near General Raht before he was forced to evade them, proving his point.

"It _is_ a Galra fighter."

"Let's invite our guest aboard."

When the fighter tried to escape, he was sucked in a tractor beam as he grunted.

"No!"

With that, the fighter was swallowed into Lotor's ship.

* * *

At the icy planet, the rebel fighters retrieved a message from Acxa.

"Prince Lotor requires your assistance on Planet Thayserix. We expect you here immediately."

"Thayserix? Where is that?"

"Not far from here. The fleet is passing through our quadrant. Log it on the klygarg."

"Oh, I hate the klygarg. How do I get on it again?"

As they spoke, Shiro shimmied up the pipe, trying not to get their attention.

"Enter your password."

"Right. What's my password?"

"I don't know! It's your password! I'm intercepting another communication coming in now. Log this one, too."

"I haven't logged the first one yet!"

"Shh!"

As Shiro shimmied up, he heard the radio chatter.

"We've received orders from Prince Lotor. We are to intercept Voltron."

This made Shiro gasp before the smaller rebel fighter spoke to the other.

"Voltron? Uh... see if he's ready to talk."

When the big guy looked, however, he'd gone missing.

"Ah! Vakala! Get in here! I told you we should've eaten him. His leg is hurt. He can't be far. Let's split up. I'll check outside. You check the tunnels."

As Vakala and the big guy split up, he went outside while his partner checked in the hold. As he breathed heavily, Vakala didn't notice the masked General as he drew out a sword preparing to strike. In the meantime, the Goliath looked in the hold only to find a shadow behind a towel and looked there. However, it was an assortment of supplies stacked to make it appear as if it was the prisoner. As the big Allen got confused, he heard gunfire and ran to the source only to find the masked General tossing Vakala toward him before he spoke.

"You have someone of mine, Rebels. Turn him in, and perhaps I'll let you live."

The goliath only proceeded to fire at the General who countered with his luxite sword swiftly. As this happened, Shiro noticed this while feeling the pain of his leg. As the goliath yelled, Vakala felt he could do a better job.

"You keep missing him! Let me shoot! Give me that!"

"No, it's mine!"

"Tsk, tsk. So discordant."

With that, the masked General fired bolos at him and used them to trap the bigger rebel fighter before Vakala took charge.

"Stop right there! I'll shoot!"

"Go ahead. I dare you."

As he unsheathed his sword, Vakala grew nervous before he fired, only for the general to block it with his sword which he then used to slice his weapon in two. Then, the General kicked him to the floor before Vakala spoke.

"You're on the wrong side of this war."

"Really? Doesn't appear that way to me."

Before he could strike them, Shiro stopped him by getting in the way and sliced off the clamp before Shiro was able to use his arm against the General before he clashed against him. As the two fighters watched, the General's outfit was cut open in the chest before he growled and shoved him away before teleporting away with Shiro looking toward them.

"I could tell you the same thing. I'm on your side. My name is Shiro, and like I said before, I'm a Paladin of Voltron. I know that no matter what I say you won't believe me, so..."

As they trembled, assuming he was going to fire at them, Shiro only dropped the weapon to them, earning their humble confusion before he spoke.

"I need to get to my team and I need your help."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame had now walked into the bedroom where her late best friend Kumiko laid unmoving. This was one of the worst experiences she's ever had.

"Kumiko..."

Suddenly, she heard a voice yelling behind her.

"This is all your fault!"

She gasped before turning to see her past self being yelled at by Kumiko's mother, Mrs. Nakamura.

"We gave you one job! You were supposed to protect her!"

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't bring my daughter back! It should have been you!"

This shattered her past self before she finished speaking.

"I don't know why you were ever brought into this world! I never want to see your incompetent face ever again!"

As the mother left in grieving frustration, the Ayame that had just endured such hateful words collapsed to the floor and broke down in tears as Ayame remembered her words.

"She was right. I could've done anything to protect her, but I didn't. This wasn't the first time anyone died because of me. It should be the last..."

As Ayame tensed her hands, she then let out a shout that let out all of her frustration and pain.

"WHY AM I STILL HERE?!" IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!

As Ayame cried after this, a familiar voice spoke to her as he appeared along with Jenny, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Belle, and Sandra.

" _Listen, Ayame. This is something Shiro told me that I know will help you."_

"K-Keith?"

" _We'll never give up on you, Ayame. But what's most important is that you can't give up on yourself."_

Ayame, still struck with doubt, spoke to him.

"Why not? Why even bother trying if I'm just going to lose you? I'm not worth any effort! They were all better off without me! Why would they throw their lives away for someone who is pathetic and weak?! I shouldn't be here!"

Then, Keith placed his hands on her own as he put them together before he answered.

"Because. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in my life. And not just mine. Your mother, your father, your friends, they'd do anything for you. Because like it or not, you are worth the effort. That's why you're here."

Hearing this, Ayame welled up with tears of joy before she lightly sobbed. As that happened, her tears fell into her hands before a dark purple orb came from where her hands were joined, catching her attention before she tried to look up to Keith, only to find that he and the others had gone. Ayame wasn't deterred by this however.

"I get it now. Everything my friends did, they did for me. Because they knew, in some way or another, that I'd make the universe a better place. And I will. I won't let _their_ efforts be for nothing."

* * *

Back at the icy planet, Vakala showed the scan of Thayserix to Shiro.

"There's Thayserix. It's a giant gas planet. According to the communications we intercepted, Voltron is there. Or was."

"I need to get there. Do you have a ship?"

"Just a shuttle. It's designed to dock with low orbiting ships, not travel across the universe."

Then, Vakala's partner offered him a refreshment.

"Here. Sorry for hanging you up by your wrists."

"Thanks."

As the fighter looked at the klygarg, Vakala gave him the bad news.

"Shiro, there just doesn't seem to be any way to get you to Thayserix."

"What about the Galra cruiser heading there?"

"What about it?"

"Well, if it's passing close enough to this planet, maybe I can hitch a ride."

"Hitch a ride on a Galra cruiser?"

"You just escaped from a Galra ship, and now you're talking about breaking back onto one? You're crazier than me. And I volunteered to live in an ice planet for five years."

"Is it possible or not?"

As Vakala did another scan, he confirmed it.

"The cruiser is currently within range, but it's gonna make a jump to hyper-drive any time now."

"Then I'd better hurry."

With that, Shiro dressed up in the armor they had before activating it. And with that, Vakala and his partner fired their guns at the ice, breaking it apart and making a pathway for him to get through.

"Thank you for all your help."

With that, Shiro took off for outer space before his partner asked Vakala.

"Do you really think he'll be able to get to a fighter an make it to Voltron?"

"If he's really who he says he is, then he's got a chance."

"You know that was our only ship, right?"

That made Vakala widen his eyes as Shiro remembered what he was told about it.

" _The battle cruiser's sensor will identify the shuttle once it gets within range. The single shuttle is such a small object that the bridge won't be notified. Its defense system is programmed to destroy on sight. At this point, the sensors will ID you as debris. You must move quickly. Make your way to the blasters. That's where you'll get in. These weapons retract just before hyper-drive."_

At this point, Shiro noticed the defense systems preparing to fire at the shuttle before he got out as the blasters destroyed it. With that, Shiro took the opportunity to get inside the blasters just before the Galra cruiser went into hyper-drive. Once inside, Shiro attacked the drone before running to the docking bay. As this happened, the Galra cruiser arrived at Thayserix as the commander of the ship spoke up.

"Exiting hyper-drive. We have visual on Voltron. Voltron is within range."

"Voltron?"

As Shiro got into the bay, the commander spoke up.

"Prepare Fighter Squadron One for immediate deployment."

As the ships turned on and started to rise, a stone suddenly fell to the floor as Shiro spoke to himself.

"Come on. Send the fighters. Let's go!"

However, the commander spoke otherwise.

"Prince Lotor has commenced a sit down. Fighters, abort launch. I repeat, abort launch."

As they went down, Shiro spoke to himself again.

"It's now or never."

Suddenly, the masked General appeared on top of his fighter.

"I couldn't agree more."

With that, the masked General flung him out of the fighter before catching the attention of the other Galra who prepared to fire at him, only to cease fire as the masked General teleported along with Shiro into Kaecilius' cruiser before he spoke to the leader of said cruiser.

"Here he is. The Black Paladin as promised."

As Kaecilius spoke, Shiro noticed a familiar craft leaving.

"Excellent work, Zixal."

"Voltron!"

Unfortunately, Voltron took off without him.

"No!"

Kaecilius then noticed who he was talking about before he spoke.

"Hm. Trying to head back to your friends? I'm afraid that won't be happening. We've got lost time to make up for."

* * *

At the command center, Xaira felt tears coming out of her eyes before she stirred from her meditation and felt them with her fingers before she decided to pay Haggar a visit. As she did, Haggar turned to her and spoke to her.

"What is it?"

"My other... I could feel her hurt. She was doubting herself. But then, her understanding came after. I felt it."

"She's difficult to keep down. Not unlike Jennifer. Return to your chambers for now. I'll let you know when—"

Suddenly, Lotor arrived with a robot arm before he chucked it to the ground.

"Hello, Brother."

"Xaira."

After the short exchange, Lotor turned to Haggar.

"Stop sending your cronies after me."

"I know many ideas float through your head, just like your father, but the Galra Empire needs your help in these troubling times, especially with Kaecilius involved."

Xaira has her own personal doubts about it.

"Or maybe he should just cut his losses and hand it over to me."

As Lotor glared at her, Xaira explained her reason.

"Yeah. I know what I said. And that's the truth. You think you're being a leader, but you're not. You're just a temporary bauble to be cast aside until the true emperor shows himself. Face it. You're no leader."

"I am the leader! But I am not my father."

"That's exactly why you don't deserve it."

As Lotor glared at her, he proceeded to walk out before Haggar spoke to her.

"On second thought, I have a new mission for you. This time, I'll oversee your progress personally."


	33. Ambush

**Chapter 32:** Ambush

At a Galra Outpost, Lance has trained his gun on the drones as he spoke in the communicator.

"Alright, team, I've got my eye on the targets. I'll cover you from up he—"

Suddenly, Keith began attacking the drones as he darted toward them, much to Lance's chagrin.

"Hey, Keith, I had that guy!"

Fortunately, Lance noticed a drone targeting Keith before shooting it himself and noticed Hunk and Sandra taking heavy fire as they spoke.

"They're still coming!"

"Any chance you can fix that?!"

With that, Lance shot at a door switch, causing the door to crash onto one before Hunk gave him a thumbs-up while Sandra smiled. Then, he turned his attention to Jenny and Allura as they stood back-to-back. While Allura wrapped her chain blade around one drone's head, Jenny used hers to slash at the weapons, allowing Allura to pull one drone into another before blocking fire with her bayard and slicing through the drone with it. Then, Jenny shot her chain blade like a tow line through it before electrocuting it and pulling it back to her as the youngest looked up at Lance with a smile before he spoke.

"Well, that was awesome!"

"Thanks!"

Suddenly, another door opened to reveal Lapis, Luzria, Adea, and Atchiam running for cover before the leader spoke up.

"Heads up, everyone! More of them are coming!"

With that, the multitude of drones shot at them, forcing them to take cover as Luzria and Pidge began working on the encryption. Hunk, however, felt they were pressed for time.

"Guys, could you maybe hurry it up a little?"

"Almost..."

"There!"

With that, Pidge and Luzria deactivated the generator before countless drones shut down and fell to the floor before Keith spoke to the hackers.

"Great job, guys."

Luzria blushed at his comment.

"Aw, thanks."

Pidge then spoke to the team.

"That's the last outpost in this quadrant."

"Lapis, call the Blade of Marmora. Let them know this base is cleared."

* * *

Later at the Castle, Iyera spoke with Jenny.

"So, in your reality, Xaira... is evil?"

"I dunno. It's too soon to say. In my anger when she was spouting out mean stuff, I didn't pay any attention to how she really felt. When she fought Haggar, though, I can tell she was... hurt. In any case, the best thing to learn from that is not to judge a book by its cover, you know?"

Iyera then sighed before she spoke.

"Yeah. Hey, Jenny. Remember what I told you about where I cane from?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well... I was lying."

This caught Jenny by surprise as she spoke.

"What?! But... why?"

"I was actually born an Altean to begin with. And General Hira took me in and raised me to spread peace. When we noticed that a portal came from another reality and after we picked you up, Hira told me to gain your trust any way we can. So I had to do it."

Jenny held her head down as she spoke.

"I see."

"I'm so sorry."

Then, Jenny's tone changes slightly.

"If you wanted to gain my trust... you could've just been honest with me."

"Huh? So you..."

"Yeah. No one is perfect. So it's okay."

"Oh. Thanks."

As Iyera hugged Jenny, the latter knew one thing didn't make sense.

"Although... if you were lying, then how did you know about the Garrison, how Kumiko actually committed suicide, and James Griffin?"

"Well... a bit of my lie has truth in it. I did actually get a dream. I saw it happen and I heard your voice... that's about it."

This made Jenny think about what it meant.

"So, if you got a vision in your reality when I found the White Lion, and it's the only thing that knows where it is... that just means your way back..."

Then, Jenny gasped, having pieces together the clue.

"It's at Planet X!"

"What?"

"Planet X! That's where I found the White Lion! Maybe it can take us there! Come on!"

With that, Jenny and Iyera ran out of the bedroom to the main hangar before she spoke.

"Hey, guys! I know how to get Iyera back home!"

However, Pidge's elation surpassed Jenny's.

"Guys, I think I have something here!"

As Jenny grumbled, Pidge explained what she had found that could help find Shiro.

"So, I downloaded intel from the Galra base we just defeated. I untied quantum-folded encryption and I found something on Shiro and Lotor."

Zarkon then spoke to him to determine its importance.

"Do you know where they are?"

"Well, not exactly, no, but the last three sightings of his command ship have been in the Va'Kar quadrant."

"Excellent work. Though, that isn't to say those quadrants aren't massive."

Jenny then spoke up.

"The big guy's right. How will we find Shiro there, let alone Lotor? At this point, it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

This made Hunk come up with an idea.

"Hey, that comet is made from the same material as Voltron. Maybe I can scan the emission spectrum for Fraunhofer lines, like when we found the Blue Lion!"

"Right. And maybe when we find the comet, we can find Shiro! Oh, and get Iyera home, too."

Pidge felt there was more to it.

"But you know those emissions are subject to free induction decay. Those are exponential drop-offs."

"Yeah, but if you could find a way to amplify the sensors— No, there'd be way too much interference."

Then, Luzria produced a solution.

"Well, what if we increase the SA magnitude? To do that, we would need..."

"The spires of the Castle!"

"Genius!"

With that, Pidge, Luzria, and Hunk took off before Lance spoke to Jenny.

"I have no idea what either of them just said."

"Me neither. Someday, though, I'll understand more than that. I've gotta."

Then, Alphus spoke up.

"Let's start setting our course for the Va'Kar quadrant while they get started on the detector and let's do that quickly. Who knows what Lotor has planned for that comet? To think of what Kaecilius would do would be even worse..."

* * *

In Kaecilius's cruiser, Shiro was screaming in pain as Vantiv was using her arm to electrocute him with a smirk.

"I don't need to ask again, do I? Where... is... the comet?"

However, Kaecilius spoke to her causing her to cease the torture.

"That's enough, Vantiv. If he hasn't produced any answers for 10 quintants, then it's obvious he knows nothing."

"So what should we do with him?"

"Leave the torture to me. I have my own grief to wreak upon him. While I do this, you and Varek will see to it that the comet is ours."

"Grief? For what?"

"For everything this mortal has done..."

* * *

At the Castle, Hunk was watching as the mice helped add in the wiring.

"Thanks for helping me hook into the system. I would've never been able to reach back there."

Then, they squeaked as they went back out of the hole as Hunk spoke.

"Sorry, I know you got all dirty. I owe you guys a little mouse shower now, okay? I'm gonna get to work on that right after we find Lotor and Shiro."

Then, Pidge spoke up to him.

"Hey, can we fire this up and see if it works?"

Then, Hunk pushed it before it produced no results and he pushed it rapidly before he spoke.

"Uh... Maybe we didn't adjust the polarity correctly."

Then, Luzria walked up before speaking as she raised her fist.

"Or maybe it just needs a little... push!"

With that, Luzria banged her fist on the radar, causing it to activate as the spire produced a red ring that spread far out wide before a location popped up on it before she spoke.

"See?"

Then, they noticed that the location is moving away.

"Uh, guys! Guys, we found the comet, but it's booking it away from us! Coran?Allura? Babak? Iyera? Jenny? Alphus?Can someone Altean move this Castle?"

As an answer, Jenny arrived before she spoke.

"Got it! Thanks for the tip."

With that, the Castle took off toward the location as Hunk saw how close they are to it.

"Okay, we're gaining on it."

Alphus then spoke to the team.

"Good. It's best not to get too close if we want to remain undetected."

Then, Pidge noticed something off as she checked it over.

"Looks like the signal stopped in the Ulippa System. Activating long-range scanners."

Then, the camera zoomed in on the surface of a planet to reveal a Galra cruiser. Keith knew what it meant.

"That's not Lotor's ship."

Hunk then noticed an anomaly with that.

"But the comet is in there."

Then, Keith spoke up.

"Here's the plan, everyone. They're gonna load that comet into the base. That's the best time to attack."

Then, the cruiser began to get under attack as yet another cruiser with red lines appeared above it and the base. Jenny knew who it was as she felt a dark surge overtake her and struck her with pain, catching Iyera's concern.

"Jenny! Are you okay?"

"Ugh... it's Kaecilius. He's the one attacking."

Alphus then spoke to the team.

"But why is the real question? We need more information. Paladins, head inside that ship and let me know what you find. If you're forced to engage then do so quickly. But most importantly, you must get out alive."

With that, the Paladins took off for it as Alphus and Iyera looked on.

* * *

At the base, Throk witnessed the cameras being decimated as he saw the generals of Lotor last. In anger, he slammed his fist on the wall before getting out his weapon.

"This may be the worst post in the Galra Empire, but it's my post! Victory or death!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the lions landed before the they ejected hover jets with Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria following Lapis as she followed the other Paladins while Alphus spoke.

"Remember, Paladins. Finding Shiro and the comet is the main priority. Kaecilius comes later."

* * *

In the base, Throk and his drones prepared for the worst as the doors exploded before Syn emerged from the smoke and used his luxite sword to create an energy slash that decimated Throk's backup as he went toward him. As Throk shouted to him, he shot at him, only for Syn to block them with his sword as he pulled it in and back out with each shot made.

"You! _Lotor_ sent _you_ to finish off what he started?!"

Then, when Syn got close enough, he used his sword to slice the weapon before slashing toward him with a shout.

* * *

As this happened, the Paladins entered the Galra cruiser above the base as Keith spoke.

"Alphus, we've just boarded the ship. There's no crew in sight. Moving forward with the search."

As the Paladins walked in the hall, Lance shot a door mechanism, opening the door before they ran in while Hunk scanned for any signals. When he looked to the hallway on the left, Hunk seemed to have found the comet as rapid beeping occurred.

"This way."

With that, they all followed Hunk towards it. In the meantime, they didn't notice that Honerva and the masked Xaira were behind them before they teleported out of the ship.

* * *

In the base, Acxa shot down the rest of the drones while spiraling in mid-air before Zethrid complained.

"Let me finish him off!"

"No, you know the plan!"

As Syn fought him, he spoke down on him.

"Did you really think your life meant anything?"

"My life doesn't matter. All that matters is the empire!"

Suddenly, Narti jumped behind him before placing her hand on the back of his head, hypnotizing him as his eyes turned purple before he went to the computer.

"Shutting down security."

With that, all of the drones shut down before Throk spoke again.

"Retracting roof."

Then, Narti broke the link and put him to sleep as the roof opened up to reveal a large metal piece with a glass lid atop of it. Babak and Coran recognized it immediately.

"Is that... it is! A piece of the teludav!"

"What in the name of King Groggery the Infirm is going on?!"

* * *

Suddenly, Lotor's generals heard a whoosh behind them before they looked to see Haggar and Xaira before the former explained when they raised their weapons.

"You will lower your weapons. You are among allies."

Syn honestly didn't believe that.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"We're here for Lotor, not you."

* * *

In the ship, the Paladins heard no commotion outside before Jenny and Keith spoke.

"I don't hear any firing. What happened?"

"Sounds like the fight next door's over. Let's hurry."

With that, they marched forward as Hunk's device beeped louder.

"The comet should be in here. Like right here."

As he turned his device toward the ship, it's beeping had increased as Adea spoke.

"Maybe the comet is inside that ship?"

Hunk had a different approach to it.

"I think the ship is the comet."

This made everyone widen their eyes before Allura spoke.

"No, it can't be! He's already made a ship from half of the comet's ore?"

Lance and Jenny can agree that it was discomforting.

"Oh, this is bad."

"More like unnerving."

Then, Babak spoke to them via communicator.

"Paladins, that's not the only bad news. There's also a piece of the teludav inside the Galra base."

Lance spoke to Babak to confirm it before Jenny spoke.

"The one we used to wormhole Zarkon's ship?"

"The very same."

"But why? They can't use it without an—"

Then, Jenny remembered what she saw at his ship as she stopped her from hurting Shiro and Ayame before.

"Oh, quiznak! How did I forget?! Haggar was Altean!"

Then, Hunk spoke up nervously.

"Is anyone else kind of freaking out?"

Adea felt the same as he did.

"Yeah, that's number one on my freak-out scale, so far."

Keith knew that it meant one thing.

"Lotor must be nearby. We need to find him and take him out for good."

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"But what about Shiro? Don't we gotta save him, first?"

Then, Alphus spoke up.

"Forget about them for now. The main concern is to stop Lotor from getting that ship."

Keith and Jenny had different view points.

"Why take out one ship when we can stop all of this by taking out Lotor himself? We can't let him keep outsmarting us."

"Lotor is one thing, Keith. But Kaecilius is another. Taking out Lotor just means one less problem for Kaecilius and we'll end up being bigger targets than ever and putting Shiro in a bigger risk of not breathing."

"That's exactly why you can't let either of them have that comet, guys. This is too important."

Then, Zarkon spoke up.

"Indeed. That's why I'll join in."

Alphus and the Paladins grew surprised.

"What?!"

"Lotor is my son and my responsibility. If anyone is going to bring him to justice, it should be me."

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"Well, we know what the big guy's gonna do, but what about us?"

Keith had an idea before he spoke.

"You guys go back to the lions. I'm gonna search the ship for Shiro."

Jenny felt estranged to that as she spoke.

"Keith, we all want to find Shiro. But you need to stick together."

"What about you?"

"I'll go look for Shiro. That way, while you guys take out the comet and the teludav, I'll bring Shiro back. I gamed it out. Anyone agree?"

Then, the Paladins gave their two cents starting in the order of Lance, Allura, Pidge, Hunk, Lapis, Atchiam, Luzria, and Adea.

"Yeah, I'm with Jenny on this one."

"As am I."

"Me, too."

"Yeah, man."

"That could work."

"Good planning."

"I'm in."

"Aye."

Keith then looked to Jenny, only to meet her determined glare before he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. Let's move."

* * *

As they walked out, they noticed that the the hall opened to reveal Lotor's generals with Haggar and Xaira before Jenny widened her eyes.

"No way..."

Then, Zethrid leaped to the air and roared, earning Adea's fearful squeak as she jumped back from her impact zone just in time to brace the dust from the impact. Then, Kurziam emerged from the dust to attack Pidge, who fired her bayard at her, only for her to dodge it and trip him before using the momentum to bash Hunk away. As this happened, Lance shot at Syn, who blocked his fire with his sword before using his luxite sword to push him back with his energy slash as Keith moved in toward him. Then, he clashed his sword with Syn's as the two stared daggers at each other before he spoke.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Suddenly, a blast came between their blades before Xaira mobilized with her own luxite switch blade as it turned into a dagger before she darted toward Keith. Meanwhile, Jenny used her chain blade to repel Ezor's daggers before the opponent moved in for hand-to-hand combat before she blocked the whip and used it to pull her closer to her before pulling her weapon away from her as she smirked. Jenny only smirked back as her bayard went to her free hand, catching her by surprise before she kicked her away and got her running as Jenny giggled before she noticed Keith fighting Xaira and ran over to help him. In the meantime, Narti was fighting against Lapis, Adea, and Luzria before she tripped the Blade with her tail, allowing Adea the opportunity to lunge at her and grab her from behind before Kova leaped onto her face from a nearby support beam and scratched on swiftly, forcing her to let go in an attempt to get the cat off of her.

"AAH! Ceiling cat!"

Narti used the opportunity to wrap her tail around Adea's neck tightly and hoisted her up as she started choking.

"Can't breathe..."

Then, Lapis went toward Narti and knocked her away with a backhand knuckle strike before she dropped Adea into her arms before the blade looked at her leader.

"Hi."

As Lapis sighed at this in relief, Allura and Atchiam were fighting Zethrid as the former used her chain blade to catch her weapon while she and Atchiam pulled on it, earning their opponent's smirk.

"It's been a long time since I've faced a worthy opponent. I'm going to enjoy crushing you."

Then, she pulled on the trigger, firing a blast before Atchiam blocked it with her metal arm before she spoke.

"Not today! Because I'm gonna beat you to the punch! Get it? 'Cause I'm gonna punch you. I doubt it'll do much, but I'm still gonna punch you."

Zethrid only snarled before pulling them toward her as Atchiam fired a bullet from her gauntlet to avoid Zethrid's arm that swung toward them and grabbed Allura before chucking her away. Atchiam then moved in to punch her in the face, only for Zethrid to grip her arm and toss over overhead before she landed next to Allura and spoke.

"I was right. It was pointless. I'm not sorry."

Then, they noticed Lance shooting at Acxa as she went up to him and jumped into a structure before landing by him and kicking him away, causing Lance to tumble back before Lapis spoke up.

"Let's forget about them for now. We have to get back to the lions."

"Good idea."

However, Keith had other plans as he was caught up in the fight with Xaira before she lunged her switch blade towards him. Keith was able to counter this with his own sword before going up on the sword and hitting her in the mask, knocking it off before he turned back to her. However, when he saw her face, it looked entirely similar to Ayame's with blank yellow eyes before he widened his eyes and spoke her name.

"Ayame...?"

This made everyone else gasp in surprise as well before Jenny spoke.

"Ayame's here, too?! Wow. What are the odds?"

Then, Xaira spoke against him.

"My name isn't Ayame. It's XAIRA!"

Then, she lunged at him and swung her switchblade before he ended up slashed across his chest and knocked to the floor before she spoke to him.

"Just stay out of my way."

Keith then held onto his chest before he turned to her.

"Ayame, listen. I don't know what Xaira told you, but you can't believe her. I'm not leaving here without you."

Xaira only raised her switchblade above his chest before she spoke.

"Yes, you are..."

Before she could make the move, Pidge shot her bayard at her back, knocking her unconscious before she fell to the floor. Jenny then spoke to her.

"Good move. You did what you had to do."

Then, she and Allura went up to her as Jenny spoke.

"Now, let's drag her back into the Castle and... wait. Where's Haggar?"

Suddenly, dark mists came from Xaira and swirled around Allura and Jenny, turning their eyes bright yellow.

* * *

For Allura's case, she witnessed her father's death with Kaecilius watching before the latter shouted to Sendak.

"Their armies have fallen! Execute the Zaiforge cannons!"

"Vrepit Sa."

With that, 6 purple lights ascended to the air before heading down to the planet's surface and destroying it as Allura watched the tragedy before screaming in vain.

"NO!"

* * *

For Jenny's case, she ended up seeing a different background with Xaira walking up to her before speaking to her.

"Jenny... your friend is gone."

Then, Belle walked up beside her in a Galra Battle Suit as she spoke.

"We all work for the Galra Empire now."

With that, Xaira and Kren began attacking her as she was forced to get her bayard out and used it to block their weapons before she spoke.

"No! Not again!"

* * *

In reality, Allura and Jenny were standing still, petrified before Keith and Lance spoke up.

"Guys, what's happening? Guys!"

"Are you okay?"

Then, Babak spoke to him in the communicator.

"Keith, what's going on?!"

"I don't know. Jenny and Allura just froze up."

"Drag them to their designated lions yourself if you have to! We're wasting time!"

"Okay."

With that, Keith and the others went toward them as they were forced to take off while the generals watched them run, much to Zethrid's displeasure as Acxa stopped her from running toward them.

"Zethrid, stop!"

"Come on! This is our chance to destroy them!"

Syn then spoke to her.

"We have what we came for. Stick to the plan."

With that, they all took off as Zethrid looked back to Atchiam and she stared back at her before she spoke.

"Don't worry. I'll give you a real fight next time."

This made Zethrid smile herself before speaking.

"You better."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny was caught in their blades with her neck near them and on the wall before she spoke.

"Well, at least things can't get any worse than this."

However, she was proven wrong as a spotlight landed on Lance, to which she turned to see him holding hands with Nyma as he spoke to her.

"You know, you're so much cooler than anyone I've ever met."

This made Jenny's eyes widen in terror before she spoke.

"Lance...?!"

"What about your girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend?"

As they giggled, Jenny began to shed tears as she spoke.

"No... how could you? How could you betray me...?"

Then, Jenny tensed her hand in anger as her eyes began glowing blue as she shouted in anger, knocking Xaira and Kren away before they turned into black mists and faded away in her light before she shouted.

"I LOVED YOU!"

As Jenny screamed in despair, she unleashed her light throughout the background, dispelling the dark mists before she suddenly gasped for air in reality before Allura woke up as well with Lance speaking to her.

"Jenny, Allura, are you okay?"

Jenny then hugged Lance before she spoke while sobbing on him.

"Oh, Lance! I had the worst nightmare! I had to fight my best friends, and you dumped me for Nyma, and—"

Lance stopped her by putting his hands on her back and hugging her tightly as he spoke.

"Calm down, Jenny. Calm down. It's over now."

As Jenny took a deep breath with a smile, her tears landed on his armor before she spoke.

"Thank goodness for that."

Then, she turned to Allura and helped her up before she spoke.

"W-What happened to us?"

Jenny had a theory about it.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, it's got Haggar written all over it. Not that it matters. We still gotta stick to the plan. But just to be safe, Ayame will come with me."

* * *

In the mindscape, Xaira was meditating alone before a bright light opened up to reveal Ayame's silhouette before she spoke.

"Xaira!"

Xaira then opened her eyes and turned around while setting her feet upon the ground as her other half walked toward her.

"So... your powers. They don't scare you anymore."

"And how would you know?"

"Because I'm you."

"No. _I'm_ me."

Xaira then bore a sad look as she held her head down and began to have tears.

"'I'm me' she says. Must be nice being real. A fake like me... would never get away with saying that."

This made Ayame widen her eyes before Xaira took offense to that as she shouted at her.

"That's right. I'm a phony, a fake! The way I look, how I feel, everything I remember! Even... this new Quintessence!"

To demonstrate it, Xaira began to develop a shadowy aura with black and purple lightning sparks around her as she spoke onwards.

"I thought by finding new strength, I could finally _be_ someone, someone who's not at all you! But... nothing's changed. I'm still just empty! Everything about he is borrowed! That means as long as you're around, I'll never be more than a shadow! I WON'T LIVE LIKE THAT! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Xaira then darted toward Ayame in anguishing grief as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Outside, Ayame was behind Jenny as she rode in her hover vehicle while she, and Lance spoke.

"Okay, so far, we haven't seen Kaecilius or his men just yet. What could that mean?"

"Yeah, seriously, what is going on?"

Then, Hunk, Allura, and Pidge spoke next.

"Jenny, you said they had an Altean? They must be trying to build a teludav so they can make wormholes."

"If Lotor has turned one half of the comet into a ship, we have much bigger concerns."

Adea has a question on her mind that needed answers.

"I thought Lotor took over for Zarkon. So why would he attack his own base?"

Then, Zarkon spoke up, listening to her.

"The only reason he has to gain from this is to reap as much Quintessence as possible. No doubt Honerva and Xaira were trying to stop him. Speaking of, where is my daughter?"

Then, Jenny spoke up.

"Truth? She's actually in the back with me. To make sure if she does sic those weird mists again, it wouldn't affect the rest of the team."

This made Zarkon widen his eyes before he sighed.

"Can I count on you to keep her safe?"

"Of course. She's my best friend. Why wouldn't I?"

Then, Zarkon got out his own custom bayard before using it to activate his armor as he spoke.

"Don't take this personally. It's a father's duty to worry for his children."

* * *

With that, they got to the lions just as Ezor, Kurziam, and Zethrid were on a cargo ship picking up the teludav lense. Suddenly, however, they heard the door open before turning to see Vantiv and Varek.

"Sorry, ladies."

"This craft is our property."

With that, the generals darted towards Vantiv and Varek while the tractor beam caught the lense as Alphus, Iyera, Babak, and Coran watched before the first of the group spoke to Babak.

"We have to stop that cargo ship."

"On it, Alphus."

As they moved in, however, they noticed a fast-moving ship before Coran pointed out what it was.

"That must be the ship made from the comet."

"Then we can't take any chances. Raise particle barrier. Fire Castle defenses."

With that, Coran fired at the ship while also raising its barrier. However, the ship was able to move around swiftly, avoiding the blasts altogether.

"A quick little bugger, isn't it?"

"I've never seen something that size move that fast."

As the ship moved around dodging, it fired countless beams at the barrier before charging a big one to hit the side of the barrier, shattering it in the process as Babak spoke.

"That blast cut right through the particle barrier!"

Alphus then spoke to her team.

"Paladins, where are you?!"

The ship then fired at the barrier again as Coran spoke.

"We can't take another hit like that!"

Then, before he could strike again, Zarkon called him out.

"LOTOR!"

Suddenly, a purple chain blade gripped the ship before electrocuting it and tossing it away as Zarkon's battle armor glared at it. Alphus couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Zarkon... he saved us?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ship, Jenny heard Kaecilius' grunts as well as Shiro's yells of pain as she walked toward the source as he shouted.

"We had so much unfinished business!"

As he yelled again, Jenny tiptoed to perk out the corner and saw Kaecilius electrocuting him, causing her to widen her eyes as he shouted again.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY?!"

Then, he zapped Shiro again, earning louder screams before she got out her bayard and ran out to him.

"Let him go!"

Then, Kaecilius looked to see Jenny before getting a flashback of his last defeat in which his skin withered while Omegus dissolved into nothing in the quantum abyss before he ceased his torture and snarled.

"You... Your conceit will be the end of you!"

Then, he yelled as he darted toward the girl.

* * *

In the meantime, Xaira began engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Ayame, who managed to block her fists before she charged her fist in a dark aura and bashed it against her arm, earning Ayame's scream before she ended up tripped by Xaira. As Xaira got out her switchblade and aimed to stab her, Ayame moved away got her bayard and blocked it, much to both of their surprise. Despite this, Ayame used it to knock her back before twirling her dual-naginata and glaring at her.

"I don't care how hurt you are! You have no right to force that hurt on my friends!"

* * *

Then, she lunged at Xaira as she twirled her weapon before the scene shifted to show Voltron and the Violet Voltron arriving to face Lotor as Keith slammed his bayard into a slot while he shouted.

"Form sword!"

As Voltron got the sword ready, Lotor spoke to Syn on the communicator.

"Keep Voltron and my father engaged until the cargo ship is out of range."

As Voltron tried to slice it, it boosted away while Lotor gave a warning.

"Do not be drawn in. The sword strike is his most deadly blow."

Then, Voltron slashed at it repeatedly before the ship dodged them over and over again, infuriating Keith.

"It's too quick!"

Then, Lapis spoke in the Violet Lion.

"Just keep him busy! We'll head for the cargo ship in the meantime."

"Got it."

* * *

Inside the cargo ship, Vantiv gripped Kurziam by the neck with her quintessential arm and pressed it against the wall as she smirked.

"I'm afraid we'll be taking your teludav."

Seeing this, Zethrid ran at her like a bull, knocking her to the ground whilst dropping Kurziam into her arms as she spoke.

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, Ezor clashed her daggers against Varek's aura blade before he tripped her and kicked her to the wall while using the momentum of he Kick to staple Ezor's shirt to the wall with his needles, scaring Zethrid.

"Ezor!"

Then, she set Kurziam down before she charged at Varek as she shouted, clashing his fist against hers before he spoke.

"Just like a lowly mortal to charge in with no conception of consequences. You're no better than that long-haired weakling."

This made Zethrid's eyes widen before realizing who he actually was.

"You mean _you're_ the one who took her arms?! That's it!"

Then, Zethrid turned her fist into an open hand before she began squeezing his hand as he yelled in pain.

"Now _you_ get to know what that's like."

However, his yell of pain died down into that of laughter as his eyes started glowing purple before he wrapped his hand in a dark aura before it began to burn Zethrid as she was forced to let it go before he stood up with a smirk.

"Is this really the strength you can muster? How disappointing..."

Suddenly, Kurziam shot at him from behind with her weapon, knocking him and the recovering Vantiv to the door before firing a switch to open it, sending them out to space as Ezor and Zethrid held on before shooting it again, closing it. As they fell back to the ground, Ezor looked to Kurziam.

"Thanks. You okay?"

"Just fine."

* * *

In the ship, Jenny dodged Kaecilius's blasts before she charged at him with her chain blade and wrapped it around his hands before pulling him and kicking him in the back to the ground before she ran over to the groaning Shiro and unlocked his restraints before she spoke to him.

"Shiro. Come on, you've gotta be okay."

Then, Kaecilius stood up and glared at her with purple eyes.

"Repent of your arrogance..."

Suddenly, he fired dark lightning at Jenny, forcing her to toss Shiro away and her caught in the path herself as she screamed in agony as he stepped closer to her until he was at point blank range. At which point, he fashioned a black and purple sword from his hand which he held at her throat before he spoke.

"Away with you, mortal scum!"

Then, he began to raise it and strike there with a yell before Jenny closed her eyes and feared the worst only to hear a clang in front of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw someone holding back the sword, someone she didn't suspect.

"Huh?!"

"Back for more, Honerva, yet again?!"

"Wait. Honerva? Are you Haggar's sister?"

Suddenly, the ship began to jolt as the Violet Voltron has just destroyed the teludav before Haggar looked out to see Zarkon fighting Lotor alongside Voltron as she widened her eyes in disbelief before she glared back at Kaecilius and thrusted her lightning at him, sending him back to the ground before turning to Jenny.

"Take my hand if you want to get out of here."

"What? What about Shiro?"

"He's coming with you."

If the situation was different, Jenny wouldn't trust a stranger. But seeing as she saved her life, and possibly Shiro's, she had to do it.

"Alright. Just take us to the White Lion."

Then, she took her hand and the three of them teleported before Kaecilius looked up in anger before he took a deep breath as he spoke, satisfied with the pain he dealt to Shiro.

"Who's your daddy? And by the way, you're doing a fine job convincing everyone you're Shiro. Keep up the good work."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame used her dual naginata to stab Xaira, only for her to dodge it before gripping it and using it to toss her away before lunging at her. As she did, Ayame looked up at her and got her naginata out before stabbing her unintentionally. When Ayame looked up, she saw Xaira stopped in midair by the tip of her weapon as she leaked dark mists from her wound before she thrusted her down to the ground and deactivated her bayard as she went toward her. As she laid on the floor, Xaira spoke sadly.

"So... this is it, huh? Tch. Death doesn't scare me. Good riddance to a phony life. I was never real to begin with. I'm sure... that even what I'm feeling now is all fake."

Ayame then spoke to her as she placed her hand on her chest.

"What are you feeling?"

"Longing... curiosity, mostly. Tell me. What happens when a fake dies? One like me. Where will I go? Would it disappear?"

"It'll go somewhere. Maybe to the same place as mine."

This earned Xaira's smile before she spoke.

"A faithful copy to the end. That's fine with me. Listen. I know I don't have a right to ask after what I've done, but... the Galra... please look after them."

This only earned her smile before she nodded.

"Okay. I promise I'll lead them to a better future."

This made Xaira smile back before she shed a tear and closed her eyes.

"You know... you make a good other..."

With that, Xaira's body faded completely into a dark mist before they scattered away into the background as Ayame looked on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Voltron and Zarkon were doing battle against Lotor as they came under fire before they brought their shields up while the ship charged its cannon as Lotor spoke to the crew in it.

"We have them right where we want them. They can either defend or go after Kaecilius' ship and leave themselves vulnerable."

As Voltron turned behind it, they noticed the Violet Voltron being joined by the White Voltron before Jenny spoke.

"I've picked up Shiro, guys, but he's not doing so hot! On top of that, Kaecilius is getting away!"

Lance spoke to him next.

"Keith, what should we do?"

Then, Alphus spoke to Keith.

"You're going to have to lower your shield, shoot Kaecilius's ship, and deal with the consequences."

"We can beat this ship first, and then get Kaecilius's ship."

"There's not enough time! You need to make a decision now!"

Keith growled at this before Jenny spoke up.

"Why not do both?"

This made Alphus confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry. I've got a plan. Hunk, get your bayard ready. On Keith's cue, you're going to lower the shield and shoot Kaecilius's ship."

"Yeah, and then what?"

"If Keith's really the leader, he'll figure out what to do next."

Then, Kaecilius's cruiser began to appear as if it's turning toward the Paladins as she spoke.

"Here comes the boss, guys. Let's mess him up!"

"Right!"

At the ship, Lotor spoke to Syn.

"They're going to attack Kaecilius's ship. Prepare to fire as soon as the shield goes down."

Then, Keith spoke to Hunk.

"Go!"

Then, Hunk put his bayard into the slot to target the teludav before Lotor spoke to Syn.

"Fire now!"

With that, the ship fired at Voltron before Keith waited for a moment and used the lever to serve away before it hit the side of Kaecilius's ship and caused it to explode where it was hit while inside Kaecilius only smiled as he headed to an escape pod and went in it before it ejected away into outer space while Jenny took advantage of the lapse and shot her blue laser at it from the White Voltron's chest before it caused the ship to become paralyzed as Lotor spoke.

"Your failure is most disappointing. Return before more Galra ships converge on your location."

With that, Acxa sighed before she used the ship to pick up Ezor, Zethrid, and Kurziam before they retreated. As they did, Lance spoke to the group.

"So, Kaecilius was attacking the Galra base while Lotor tried to steal the teludav? None of this makes any sense."

Then, Pidge spoke up.

"We can talk about this later. They're getting away!"

Jenny didn't feel it best to follow them, in light of recent events.

"Let them go. Ayame and Shiro need help. And before anything else, we're going to give it to them."

* * *

Later, at the Castle, Keith was the only one sitting by Ayame as he watched over her longer than anyone else as he checked the most frequently before Jenny entered the room and sat next to him.

"Hey, Keith."

"Hi."

"Listen, I'm sorry for stepping up the way I did back there."

"I thought I had it under control."

"Keith, I know how hard that is. Since you've dropped out from the Garrison, I had to make sure Lance, Hunk, and Pidge didn't end up flunking. To do that, I had to take information in and process it. Not as easy to do when it's happening all at once, believe me. Point being, you gotta learn to pick your battles. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices."

"I'm no good at this."

"Are you kidding? You totally psyched out Lotor and stopped Kaecilius at the same time. Besides, you remember what I said. If you really were the leader, you'd figure out what to do next. And you did. The Black Lion chose you for a reason. And I know Shiro and Ayame would be so proud of you."

With that, Keith smiled at Jenny just as they heard Ayame groaning. When they looked at her, they noticed her skin changing back to its normal color before Ayame opened her eyes and got up as she gasped for breath before Keith held her back and spoke.

"Calm down, Ayame. We're here."

Then, she looked to see Keith and Jenny as she widened her eyes.

"Keith? Jenny?"

As Jenny smiled at her, she then noticed Keith's wound on his chest before she gasped and felt ashamed at what she'd done.

"Oh, no... what did I do?"

Then, Ayame began breaking down in tears as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Keith then hugged her for comfort before he spoke.

"It's alright, Ayame. You weren't yourself back then. None of it was your fault."

"Yeah, Ayame. We can't be mad at you for that?.

"You mean... you forgive me?"

"Duh! We're friends! That's what we do."

This made Ayame smile before she gave the two of them a hug as she shed tears and replied softly.

"Thank you so much..."

"You're welcome."

Then, Jenny thought of someone else in mind.

"Wait. What about Xaira?"

Ayame then ceased her hug before she spoke.

"She's gone. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Well, that's good."

"So, what have you been doing since I was gone?"

"Well, you wouldn't believe it if I told you."


	34. The Legend Begins

**A/N: Hello. I know that people are confused about why there are two Paladins for each lion in this story and, to a lesser extent, a personal dislike about two paladins sharing the same pod, and I understand that, but they happened in my story for a reason. That's where origins come in (except there's not much of an origin in the second part, but still, there's a reason). Anyway, since it's in the past, Alphus will be portrayed by Brittney Karbowski and Omegus by Billy Zane while Kaecilius reprises his role as James Marsters in a much more dignified manner. To add to this is a special character: Marmora. She will be voiced by Ashley Greene. As for her husband and child, I haven't come up with their voices yet, but they will appear again in more upcoming flashback sequences in future chapters. So, hang tight 'kay? :)**

 **Chapter 33:** The Legend Begins

On another moon base, Kaecilius' pod floated towards it before landing as he emerged with a smile before his gauntlet received a transmission from a certain scientist before he spoke.

"Komar. So good to see you after such a long time."

"I can hardly agree with you on that. But ignoring our... _professional_ disagreement, what can I do for you?"

"Open the doors of Base: Xanthium. I must see how my 'guest' is holding up."

* * *

At the Castle, Keith and Ayame were with Shiro as he answered their question.

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was Omegus trying to overtake the Black Lion. It told me to use my bayard. Then, just nothing. I woke up and I was back on a Galra ship."

As Ayame grew curious, Keith had a theory.

"Why did you end up there?"

"Well, he'd just unlocked the Black Lion's ability to teleport. Could it have teleported you? Maybe it was trying to save you."

"By teleporting me into the hands of the Drule?"

"Maybe Omegus forced it to. I mean, he was trying to control the Black Lion up until the very last moment, right?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Ayame spoke to her brother next.

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, the rest of the team would be thrilled to see you up and around again. They need you, you know."

"Yeah. I'll try."

Ayame then smiled before Keith spoke.

"Okay, we'll be on the bridge."

As the two started to walk out, Shiro spoke again.

"Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"How many times are you gonna have to save me before this is over?"

As Shiro smiled while asking that question, Keith smiled back.

"As many times as it takes."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny was lying with Lance in her bed as she spoke.

"Man, what a week. First, we got Ayame and Shiro back, and now, we have Honerva _and_ Zarkon on our side. Things are finally looking up."

"Yeah."

Catching his deadpan response, Jenny could tell something was bugging him.

"What's wrong?"

"Jenny, did you ever really think about what them being back really means?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been doing some math. With Shiro back, that makes six Paladins, seven if you count Sandy, but excluding the White and Violet, there are only five main lions."

"Yeah. I thought the numbers were a little weird from the beginning myself, too. Come to think of it... why did it choose seven of us if there's only five of them? Could they not make up their minds before?"

"That... is insightful, but not the point. When Shiro takes over the Black Lion, Keith's going to want his Red Lion back. If I get a Lion, I'd have to take Blue from Allura. But she's progressed a lot faster than any of us did. She might even be able to unlock powers we don't know of. Like you."

This made Jenny blush, although she ignored it as she spoke.

"Yeah. You're right."

"So... maybe the best I can do for the team is step aside."

Obviously, this upset Jenny as she frowned.

"What? Why?"

"This isn't a participation game. This is war. And whoever the leader is, they're gonna want the best soldiers on the front lines."

Jenny then hugged him tightly before she spoke to him.

"Don't even say it, Lance. I know what's going on, but that doesn't make you any less valuable to the team. So stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on the missions. Things will work themselves out. They always have."

If her words didn't do it, Jenny's pleading face did the trick as he sighed before speaking.

"Okay."

"And while you're at it, leave the math to Pidge."

As Lance smiled at her, he thought of another situation.

"While we're talking math, how come you asked me to share a pod with you?"

This made Jenny shocked as her face turned beet red.

"Oh, Quiznak! I hope you'd forgotten that..."

"N-No, it's okay. I was just asking."

"You mean you don't remember what I told you?"

"Nah, I do. But knowing you, you've gotta have a personal motive for things like that."

Jenny smiled before blushing as she answered.

"Well... the truth is... I wanted to feel like... like we were..."

Then, Lance spoke the last word in her sentence before she could.

"Married?"

This made Jenny gasp before she spoke.

"How did you know?"

"I didn't."

Then, Lance thought about Allura's situation with her mice as she can speak telepathically to them before he got an idea in his head.

"Wait. Did I?"

Before Jenny could ask him anything, Babak spoke up.

"Everyone, if you've recovered from your last mission, please head back to the bridge."

* * *

Later, the Paladins, along with Allura, Babak, Coran, Adea, Luzria, Atchiam, Honerva, Alphus, Iyera, and Zarkon were referring to the map that popped up locations as Pidge spoke.

"He fought us here, his generals were here, and we intercepted Kaecilius while Lotor stole the comet here."

It was easy for even Lance to guess what it means.

"So, Lotor could be anywhere."

Jenny could agree with him.

"On top of that, we don't even know what his plan is."

Honerva begged to differ.

"Considering what we've seen, the plan should be obvious. He's planning to get the purest Quintessence possible."

This made Ayame look at her suspiciously.

"Is that why you let Haggar create Xaira in the first place?"

Jenny gave her own look of suspicion toward her as well.

"An even better question is 'why would you let her do this to Ayame but save _me_ from her and Kaecilius'?"

Pidge had a different question in mind.

"Actually, Jenny, the better question is this. Why was Voltron made out of the same material as that comet? What's so special about it?"

Zarkon could sense a barrage of questions will be sent out after her as he stepped in.

"While I can't speak for her actions, I will try to answer your questions as best as I can."

Alphus had her own doubts.

"No. _I_ will. _You_ will just keep your mouth silenced."

Before the argument could begin, Jenny shouted.

"Stop it! Arguing ain't givin' anyone any answers."

With that settled, Allura spoke of the comet.

"My father discovered another comet like that before I was born."

Zarkon spoke along with her.

"Alfor... and myself. Back before we were even paladins."

Adea raised her hand up, catching Zarkon's notice.

"What is it?"

"I know everyone's asking a lot of questions, but... if you're married to Honerva, how come Xaira isn't half-Altean?"

As Adea's eyes beamed up while she asked, Lapis and Luzria pulled her back before they spoke.

"That's T.M.I., Adea."

"Yeah, you dunce! Besides, they can't answer this many questions at once."

As Adea frowned, Jenny spoke up to the two of them.

"Alphus, Zarkon, I know this is painful for both of you to talk about, but we need to hear the whole story."

Zarkon then turned her before he spoke.

"Alphus, you can explain the whole story."

Alphus nodded to him before a flashback of the original Paladins shown all together with them initiating trades and Blaytz warring against the Galra before it showed him and the others burying the hatchet at a grand hall as Zarkon and Alfor shook hands with Kaecilius smiling in pride as the war is over while she spoke.

* * *

"In the beginning, the Paladins were only five leaders. Despite coming from diverse cultures, even in spite of war against one another, they managed to look past their differences in an effort to protect their common interests. An effort Kaecilius especially appreciated, at least from what I heard from Alfor way back when. This initial agreement to work together blossomed into a true friendship. A warrior's bond was forged, and with that, they worked hard to protect their system from those who would cause harm to it."

 _Next, it showed a lambonite scavenger in a helmet with green eyes and a red cape firing a blaster at Alfor before they huddled into a cave and closed the door on him. However, that didn't stop Alfor as he went up where the skylight was and used it to go through and land on his helmet with his feet before he stood up with his sword ready before realizing his position as countless scavengers surrounded him._

" _Oh, dear."_

 _With that, the scavengers moved in to attack him one-by-one as Alfor pushed them back before he was ambushed and a scavenger got him pinned with his daggers close to his eyes, his armored wrist barely blocking them before they heard clanging from far away as they turned to see Zarkon charging toward them with his mace. As he swung at them, Blaytz, Trigel, and Gyrgan knocked them back as well before all of the scavengers were unconscious as Zarkon spoke to Alfor._

" _I keep warning you not to break formation and run ahead, Alfor. You are much more knowledgeable as an alchemist than a soldier."_

" _That's what I keep you around for, Zarkon."_

* * *

 _As the paladins enjoyed a feast at Daibazaal, Alphus spoke onward._

"As you know, the original Paladins of Voltron consisted of Emperor Zarkon from Daibazaal, King Alfor of Altea, Gyrgan from Rygnirath, Lady Trigel of the Dalterion Belt, and Blaytz from Nalquod."

 _As a servant arrived with a tray, Blaytz smiled at him before he took his drink and spoke to him._

" _Pull up a bench and join the feast."_

 _Zarkon only cleared his throat before he spoke._

" _You know that fraternizing with the servant class is not permitted. It erodes discipline."_

 _Alford spoke differently._

" _Well, perhaps a bit of discipline erosive would do you good, Zarkon."_

" _Something I will consider the next time you are surrounded by Lambonite scavengers."_

" _I was handling myself."_

 _Gyrgan poked fun at Alfor next._

" _You mean wetting yourself?"_

 _As Alfor frowned, everyone else, including Babak and Coran, laughed as he spoke._

" _Why I ever joined up with this band of scoundrels, I'll never know."_

 _Trigel then spoke as she raised her glass._

" _Because we're the only band of scoundrels that would have you. To us!"_

 _Suddenly, the ground shook before a bright light appeared above them as Gyrgan spoke._

" _By willow!"_

 _Suddenly, a flaming object flew past the building before it crash-landed in a desert while Alphus spoke._

"As far as they knew, something landed. But what they didn't count on was that someone went along with it, nor did they know that at that night, the universe would be changed... forever."

 _As the paladins investigated, Alfor and the others found not only a large comet where the impact was made, but they also found a female atop of it before Alfor went to her and picked her up, stirring her awake as he spoke to her._

" _It's alright. You're safe."_

 _With that, the girl, dazed as she was, spoke softly._

" _Where... where am I?"_

" _You're on Daibazaal. Who are you and how did you get here?"_

" _I don't remember much about how I got here, but... I'm Alphus."_

* * *

 _Later, a shield wrapped around the crater as the comet was removed while Alphus accompanied Alfor and Zarkon as they looked at a fragment while the latter spoke._

" _I have finished evacuating all Galra citizens near the crater. What have you discovered?"_

" _We're not sure. And since Alphus can only remember her own name so far, I'm afraid we can't get any indication as of yet. In any case, this comet is like none seen before. It seems to be made of a material that can pass between realities."_

" _How was Alphus able to pass through, then?"_

" _I don't know how. But until she can remember, I'd have to assume she was shipwrecked on that comet. In any case, we can't deny what it's capable of."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Well, I mean, that sages have always theorized that there are many realities stacked side by side with each other. Whole other universes with their own histories unbeknownst to us. But we never had any proof. Until now. When we moved the comet, we found this."_

" _This... is another reality?"_

 _Then, Alphus spoke softly._

" _I... I think? Maybe..."_

 _Zarkon noticed her uneasiness and tried to help her out._

" _It is alright, Alphus. You don't have to strain yourself trying to remember."_

 _Then, he looked down to see a cat by his leg purring while earning his panic._

" _Ahh! What is that?!"_

 _The cat meowed before an Altean picked it up._

" _Do not worry. It is only Kova. He is from our reality."_

 _Then, Alphus looked at her and spoke._

" _And you?"_

 _This earned the girl's giggle before she spoke._

" _Of course."_

 _Alfor then spoke to her next._

" _Alphus, Zarkon, this is Honerva. She is the best alchemist on Altea. I asked her to come to Daibazaal and lead the scientific investigation."_

 _Then, another voice spoke from far away._

" _Of course, you can't forget me, either."_

 _As the figure walked up to them, he was revealed to have white hair and the similar eyes as Zarkon's, save for the purple irises._

" _I feel my dedication to this work should get a fair mention of it as well."_

 _This made Alfor embarrassed._

" _Oh, that's right. This is Kaecilius, Honerva's right-hand man. Their expertise will be invaluable."_

" _Isn't it exciting? It could change the way we understand our entire universe."_

" _Yes, I agree it is exciting, Honerva. However, this whole endeavor's also... concerning."_

" _Come on, Kae, don't be a spoilsport."_

 _In the meantime, Zarkon was blushing before he spoke._

" _Well... find out everything you can. I will provide any support you require. I must go."_

 _As he walked away, Honerva spoke about him to Kaecilius._

" _He didn't stay long."_

* * *

 _Then, as Alfor, Kaecilius, Honerva, and Zarkon worked on the rift in their own ways, Jenny spoke to Alphus._

"So, Honerva was just like me way back then?"

"That's right. She was kind, honest, compassionate, joyful, and humorous. At least that was my first impression of her. She continued her research on Daibazaal with Zarkon and Kaecilius while Alfor and I worked on ours at Altea, although we sometimes called for Kaecilius' help with it on one of our projects. We gave him the honor of creating the Violet Lion. It was breathtaking for him. During that time, I learned so much of their culture that I began to adopt their biology, much to my brother's surprise. We also paid her and Zarkon many visits as we presented Princess Allura."

 _At Daibazaal, Alfor spoke to Zarkon as he introduced the baby Allura to him._

" _Zarkon, I'd like you to meet Princess Allura."_

 _The baby looked up at Zarkon before he spoke._

" _It is my pleasure. Please accept this gift in honor of your birth, Princess."_

 _As her mother opened the box, it revealed a helmet to which she put on Allura before Alfor spoke._

" _Honerva has really softened you up, my friend."_

" _Indeed. I never expected the great warrior Emperor Zarkon to marry an Altean alchemist."_

 _This earned Zarkon's smile before he spoke._

" _That is a pleasant surprise, isn't it?"_

* * *

 _At the lab, Kaecilius looked out the window while Honerva worked before he spoke._

" _Honerva... there's something that's been weighing on my mind lately."_

" _Really? And what's that?"_

" _This rift we're analyzing. Is that really meant to be discovered at all?"_

 _This gave her pause before she turned to him._

" _What makes you suggest that?"_

" _With respect, I've witnessed more violent dealings than I care to count before our leaders united. They thrived, quarreled, perished, all in an endless loop. And so, it seems to me that for other realities to do this is the height of futility."_

 _Honerva only smiled at him before she spoke._

" _Well, look at it this way, Kae. If there are other realities like that, maybe we can bring them to peace, too."_

 _This made his eyes widen before a smile appeared._

" _Hmm. Then it would seem hope isn't lost after all."_

 _Then, he proceeded to walk out the lab as he spoke quietly._

" _It would seem..."_

* * *

 _Later, Alphus, Alfor, and Zarkon joined Honerva before the leader of the Alteans spoke._

" _Honerva, working hard as always. Many thanks for the gift. Allura loves it."_

" _It was a customary gesture."_

" _Of course. Where's Kaecilius?"_

" _He's examining the rift with his soldiers."_

" _That close?"_

" _Don't worry. He has protection."_

" _Right. How is our Quintessence experiment?"_

" _Still running."_

 _She then pointed to a device that is self-sustaining in a blue light before Alphus spoke._

" _Amazing... running for a full decaphoeb on one drop with no decline in revolutions per dobosh."_

" _Uh, that's what I was going to say, Alphus."_

" _Sorry, brother. I'm just beginning to understand it now."_

" _You mean your memory's coming back?"_

" _Just bits and pieces in a month, but that's about as much as I can handle at the moment."_

" _Well, that's good to hear. Anyway, no other energy source like this exists. The ships we're creating for us work on the same principle, and the ore from the comet practically engineers itself. It's... frightening, in a way."_

 _Being a warrior, Zarkon looked at the good news his way._

" _Endlessly powerful ships for the Galra Empire."_

" _And an endless source of clean energy for the entire system."_

" _Of course."_

 _Just then, Alphus noticed an unfamiliar face wearing a black armor with a grey cape and red irises with long raven hair sitting in a chair whilst looking at a small speck of red-purple light that seems to be moving itself before she spoke._

" _Honerva... Who's that?"_

 _Honerva explained herself as she went up to her._

" _Kae sent some signals into the neighboring reality and they answered the call. Nothing from our universe has been able to survive the passage through the rift. But somehow, they arrived unharmed."_

 _As the figure looked at them, he spoke in a deep soft voice._

" _Oh, my apologies. It's nice to see you again."_

 _As Alphus felt uneasy, she spoke confusedly._

" _Again? Do I know you?"_

" _Oh... you've lost your memory?"_

" _Unfortunately. But it's coming back. I can't help but feel I should know you."_

" _You should. I am Omegus."_

 _Hearing that name, Alphus' eyes widened before she got a headache, forcing her to clutch her head as she moaned, worrying Honerva and Alfor as Zarkon watched while the two of them went to her._

" _Alphus!"_

" _Are you alright?"_

 _As Alphus winced, she responded._

" _Yeah... I've just got another memory."_

" _So you do know him?"_

" _I guess. But, Honerva... are you sure this is the best idea? I may not remember much, but I don't think we should trust him, or that thing."_

 _Alfor could agree with Alphus as he lifted her up._

" _Alphus is right. I thought we discussed this. We must exercise caution. We have no idea know what is out there."_

" _The ancients thought that lightning was shot from the bows of the gods until science proved otherwise. We must always push into dangerous territory in pursuit of knowledge."_

 _Omegus then flickered his hand behind his back with a smirk before the speck began to react violently as it screeched. Suddenly, a larger portion of the creature came through the rift before it swarmed the drones along with Kaecilius as he exclaimed, making Honerva worried._

" _Kae!"_

 _Then, the creature erupted like water spouts through the lens as Alphus shoved the others out._

" _We need to leave now!"_

 _As Alphus shoved them, the creature overtook the lab._

* * *

 _Later, a particle barrier was erected around the crater to trap the creature with Galra drones trained on it while Ayame and Alphus spoke._

"Kaecilius was trapped in that thing? That sounds terrible."

"It gets worse. Once it got out of control, my brother, Honerva, and I erected a particle barrier to contain it, but we both knew it wouldn't hold forever."

 _Honerva and Zarkon felt the situation was getting bleak._

" _The barrier is weakening. We don't have long."_

" _Once those creatures escape, my forces will be quickly overrun. My planet, my people..."_

 _However, Honerva had faith in Alphus' powers._

" _Alfor and Alphus' project will save us."_

" _Let us hope."_

 _In the Castle, Zarkon spoke with Alphus._

" _I trust this plan of yours will work, Alphus."_

" _Just wait and see."_

 _As it showed the lions, the leaders looked on in surprise while Alfor and Alphus smiled and Gyrgan exclaimed._

" _By Willow!"_

 _When they exited, they saw seven lions consisting of Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black, White, and Violet as Alphus noticed a Galra with short and curly purple hair in the room before she spoke to her._

" _Marmora."_

 _Marmora then turned to see Alphus and Zarkon._

" _So, you've brought the whole gang here?"_

" _Yes. And we have bad news."_

 _As Alphus spoke with Marmora, Zarkon spoke to Alfor._

" _Alfor, they're amazing. How do they work?"_

" _I made them from the Quintessence-infused ore of the comet, which provides them with an endless supply of power."_

" _Remarkable!"_

" _The comet alloy also renders them nearly indestructible."_

 _Blaytz was curious on how they can fight._

" _What sort of weaponry do they have?"_

" _This is where things become more... interesting. Altean alchemy can accomplish some incredible feats of engineering, as you know. But in testing our ships, Alphus and I started to feel some sort of psychic link. I'm not sure how to explain it, but the ships weren't just reading our mind. They were communicating with us. They seem to be evolving. We don't yet know what powers these ships possess, but we may gain understanding with time."_

" _Time? Time slips away even as we stand here. Kaecilius, let alone my people, will soon be slaughtered by dark creatures from another realm. Without these ships, all hope is lost!"_

 _Alfor held his head down before he spoke._

" _I understand."_

* * *

 _With that, the Paladins gathered by the lions with the Blue Lion choosing Blaytz, Green choosing Trigel, Yellow choosing Gyrgan, Black choosing Zarkon, Violet choosing Marmora, and White choosing Alphus as Alfor spoke._

" _It may take some doing. These are not regular ships to be chosen at a whim. You do not pick the beast. The beast will choose you."_

 _As they took off in their lions, Blaytz shouted in excitement._

" _Yeah!"_

 _When they got outside Altea's orbit, Alfor spoke to the Paladins._

" _Now, go easy at the beginning. This is greater energy than you have ever worked with before."_

 _Zarkon spoke to Alfor next as he spoke._

" _Perhaps you should lead the formation, Alfor. You have a greater understanding of the vessels than anyone."_

" _I'm a better alchemist than military leader, Zarkon. I'll stick with being your right hand."_

" _Very well, then. On my mark, Paladins! Right flank, Alfor and Blaytz. Left flank, Trigel and Gyrgan."_

 _With that, they took said positions as they headed for Daibazaal._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, the creature broke free from the barrier before it formed into a giant colossus with a yellow eye staring at them before the drones fired at them. In retaliation, the creature fired a blast from its eye and caused destruction as Honerva watched before the Paladins arrived while Zarkon spoke._

" _Paladins, I'll fly ahead and divert its attention. The rest of you, attack from all sides!"_

 _With that, the Black Lion shot at the creature before it attempted to swat at it, only for it to slump back on the ground._

" _Fire!"_

 _As the creature's eye shot out a yellow laser, the lions swarmed in with the Violet Lion firing its ion cannon at it, but to no avail as it went through the beast._

" _It didn't work, Zarkon!"_

" _Keep firing!"_

 _As the Blue Lion went through it first, it causes a piece of it to break apart before it swarmed toward him and clamped down on him before Blaytz grunted as the alarm beeped._

" _These blasted things are covering me!"_

 _Suddenly, it morphed over the Lion into a shooting star, concerning Alfor._

" _Blaytz!"_

 _Seeing his comrade in danger, he shot at it, freeing Blaytz from its death trap before they flew away as the latter thanked his rescuer._

" _Th-Thanks, Alfor!"_

" _Anytime."_

 _Then, Gyrgan farted toward the beast with a tell before he spun the yellow lion into a drill._

" _Spinning head smash!"_

 _Upon noticing, the creature split up a hole in its center, catching him by surprise as the yellow lion zipped past it and went back up from underground._

" _I can't hit it!"_

 _Then, Alphus had a plan._

" _Okay. I think I know what to do."_

 _With that, the White Lion opened its mouth before it fired scatter blasts at the creature, which split apart again before the pieces overwhelmed the lasers and caught Alphus by a foreleg, forcing her to fire at it in order to be free._

" _So much for that plan. What do we do, Zarkon?"_

" _Fall back, Paladins! We must regroup!"_

 _Then, Alfor received a voice in his head before he spoke._

" _Wait! We must come together in formation."_

 _This concerned Trigel._

" _What? Why?"_

" _I don't know, but somehow I can feel it."_

 _For Alphus, her case was different._

" _I feel something, too. But it's actually beyond what the other lions had in mind."_

 _With that, the five lions went up while the White and Violet stayed in formation as Gyrgan and Trigel spoke._

" _Hey, I feel it!"_

" _I do, too! What's happening?"_

 _Alfor figures out the answer as he heard his lion growl and he turned behind him to see the giant figure._

" _Voltron_ _."_

 _In the case of Alphus and Marmora, they noticed two additional slots for each before the former spoke._

" _Are you hearing this, Marmora?"_

" _Yes, Alphus. But how come we aren't joining the others?"_

" _Something tells me we'll find out."_

 _With that, Alphus and Marmora slammer their individual bayards into the slot before their eyes opened to show white eyes from Alphus and Yellow eyes from Marmora before they saw their lions in their robot forms. A brief period after, the creature looked up to see the five Paladins yelling before they punched the creature and split it apart whilst Alphus and Marmora descended in their individual and independent robot forms as they spoke their elation._

" _I can't believe we did it!"_

" _How did this come about?"_

" _Am I a leg?"_

" _This power, it's unbelievable."_

" _I'd agree with you there, Zarkon."_

" _Brother, what is this?"_

" _This is_ _Voltron_ _."_

 _Suddenly, the creatures returned from underground before it began to fire at them with Alphus determined to save her brother before taking the hit. In doing so, Alphus discoverer the White Lion's ability._

" _What? Is that a particle barrier?"_

 _Zarkon praised her ability._

" _Well done, Alphus!"_

 _In spite of this, the creature added more ammunition into the laser, causing the White_ _Voltron_ _to fall back as the Violet_ _Voltron_ _turned to the creature before Marmora shouted._

" _You leave her alone!"_

 _As Marmora twisted her bayards, the Violet_ _Voltron_ _forged a scythe before darting towards it and evading the tentacles that came her way before she sliced them before attempting to slice the head, only to be knocked back by the strays that were cut off before landing by Alphus as the creatures then swarmed the three of them in red-purple-black domes as Zarkon grunted._

" _It's trying to rip into us!"_

 _Alphus and Marmora gave their own groans as well while they spoke._

" _It's... it's overwhelming us!"_

" _We need to get it off!"_

 _Then, Alfor noticed a slot opening up for him to plunge his bayard as he spoke._

" _I know what to do!"_

 _As he plunged his bayard in and twisted,_ _Voltron_ _summoned his sword while Alphus and Marmora did the same, summoning a dual naginata for the former and two swords for the latter before they all sliced their own demons apart and defeated them as they detonated. In the process, the dust lifted to reveal Kaecilius on the floor panting as Alphus lowered it to go to him._

" _Kaecilius!"_

 _As he groaned, Alphus spoke to Alfor._

" _We have to get him help. Tell Babak to come to Daibazaal immediately."_

* * *

 _Later, as Alphus and Babak looked over Kaecilius, she spoke to him._

" _I'm sorry, Babak. This creature got to him before we could evacuate."_

" _Why did this have to happen? I... I could've done something! I should've been there!"_

" _Babak. There was nothing you could've done."_

 _Suddenly, Kaecilius groaned before he opened his eyes to reveal glowing yellow sclerae within his purple irises with purple outlining, catching their attention before Babak spoke._

" _Kaecilius! You're alright! Thank the ancients!"_

 _He then took a deep breath before he spoke._

" _Where am I? What has happened?"_

" _Still on Daibazaal. You were trapped in the creature's bowels. We must test you for any side effects of the exposure."_

" _Very well, then."_

 _As Babak hauled off Kaecilius, Alphus went to tell Honerva the good news as she got caught up in an apparently heated argument._

" _We must find a way to seal up this rift."_

" _Seal the rift? Why?"_

" _It nearly destroyed Daibazaal!"_

" _Those creatures nearly destroyed Daibazaal, and you found a way to defeat them and save Kae."_

" _Zarkon, surely you agree with me. It must be closed."_

 _Zarkon then began to adopt a different ideology._

" _Perhaps not. Look at what we've gained, Alfor. Your ships are the most powerful machines ever created. Who knows what else may be discovered if we continue working?"_

" _You would risk your entire planet, the entire solar system, for what? For more power?"_

" _You know it's more than that."_

" _We already have_ _Voltron_ _. You have to know when it's enough."_

" _I'll decide what's enough on MY planet!"_

 _This made Alfor and Alphus gasp before Zarkon spoke reverently._

" _I'm sorry, Alfor. The work will continue."_

 _As Zarkon walked away, Alphus got Honerva's attention before she asked._

" _How's Kae?"_

" _He's fine. Babak's doing a checkup with him to see how the exposure affected him."_

" _That's good to hear. Still... what could Omegus have to gain from this?"_

" _I don't know... I wish I knew."_

* * *

 _As Honerva and Zarkon worked on the rift, Alphus, Marmora, and Babak went on the manhunt for Omegus alongside the Paladins while Adea spoke to Alphus._

"You mean, you actually knew Marmora 10,000 years ago?"

"She was one of my close friends. I knew how valuable she'd be to the team, so I asked Kaecilius to construct the Violet Lion for her. And I was right about her. But we haven't seen Omegus since we stopped his creature from destroying Daibazaal, so a manhunt was in order. While Marmora and I searched for him, my brother and his Paladins established a new era of peace and prosperity, as well as an age of exploration, christening Voltron as the Defender of the Universe, a legend that no doubt lived to this day. As we searched for him, though, Kaecilius was growing more... erratic. Unstable. Dangerous, even. After his attack, he'd developed new powers to aid in the hunt. Unfortunately, darkness also took root in his heart."

 _At a cloudy planet, Kaecilius had captured a Lambonite scavenger before gripping him by the throat as he spoke to him._

" _Running, are you?"_

 _As Kaecilius prepared to strike Babak stopped him before he spoke._

" _Kaecilius! What are you doing?!"_

" _Getting results."_

" _And blindly attacking a being with no reason at all."_

" _They've given me more than enough reason to carry out my work."_

" _Your work?"_

 _Then, he remembered that a string of incidents occurred whenever he was on missions and this gave him cause for concern._

" _Say it's not true. Were you the one who caused these so-called 'incidents' that resulted in their demise?"_

 _Kaecilius only smiled before he spoke._

" _What difference would that make if I was?"_

" _SAY IT IS NOT TRUE!"_

 _Kaecilius only maintained his smirk before Babak spoke again._

" _Alfor would never let this pass. We would pay for such evil deeds..."_

" _And those scavengers shall pay for theirs."_

" _Not at your hands! Vengeance belongs to the gods, Kaecilius!"_

" _Exactly."_

 _This made Babak widen his eyes in concern._

" _Why else do you think I've been carrying out this line of work as of late? The gods are angry at those wretched beasts. They were gifted with life, brains capable of wisdom, but they waste it completely. It's high-time these gifts are taken back, whether you like it or not."_

 _As he walked away, Kaecilius maintained his smile before Babak sighed in sorrow before it showed the dying Daibazaal as Alfor and Alphus visited him with the latter still maintaining her youthful vigor while Alfor had grown a beard as they stepped out of their lions toward Zarkon._

* * *

"And it's only gotten worse. Over time, Kaecilius wasn't the only one to rot away. Daibazaal _,_ the Galran homeworld, was dying. My brother and I tried to convince Zarkon and Honerva to stop their work before it overtakes their own world, and I mean that in more ways than one."

" _Alpha and I heard there were three more earthquakes this movement."_

" _Don't worry. I'm installing stabilizers to strengthen the planet's cohesion."_

" _Zarkon, my scientists have scanned Daibazaal. It is fracturing. Soon, the structural integrity will—"_

 _As usual, Zarkon refused to listen._

" _I can't stop Honerva's work now! She's discovering more every day!"_

 _Alphus tried to reach out to him._

" _But your own planet is dying! Sooner rather than later, your people will go with it!"_

" _With all due respect, Alphus, I have to disagree."_

* * *

 _With that, he took them inside the lab as she noticed Honerva working with the rift as usual. Although, this time, she didn't even care to look behind her, concerning her as Zarkon spoke._

" _Her team has developed a space cruiser five times the size of our current largest ship. But that's nothing."_

 _With that, Alphus tried to reach out to Honerva next._

" _Hello, Honerva. It's... been decaphoebs."_

" _I hope you haven't come to try to shut down my work. There is more hidden knowledge and power in this tiny fissure than you can possibly understand."_

 _Alphus had every right to disagree as she spoke of her complete memorial restoration._

" _I wouldn't count on it. I remember everything now. And I know that what you're doing is unsanctioned. It was forbidden by the gods for mortals to go anywhere near it for a reason. Look at what it's done to..."_

 _Suddenly, Kova went up by Honerva before Alphus spoke._

" _Wait. Is that Kova? How old is he now?"_

" _20 deca-phoebs old. Shortly after the creatures attacked, he fell ill. But then, I began treating him with Quintessence."_

" _You what? How could you?!"_

" _He revealed the truth to us. Quintessence is so much more than you can understand. It is life itself."_

" _From what I've seen so far, all I've seen is death."_

 _This enraged Honerva before she spoke._

" _You've always been a coward."_

 _As she heard those words, Alphus grew hurt._

" _Honerva... what's happened to you?"_

" _You wish to close off our gateway to enlightenment. We should be expanding it!"_

" _If we use_ _Voltron_ _, we can enlarge the opening to the other reality."_

" _What about your planet, Zarkon? What's going to happen to it then?"_

" _What would it matter if we discover a new world entirely?"_

 _This frightened Alphus before Alfor spoke._

" _It's madness! This prolonged exposure to Quintessence has poisoned your minds! You're not immune to it like Alphus is!"_

" _We've only scratched the surface. We can rule this entire universe! We can live forever! All of us!"_

 _This made Alphus as angry as she was frightened._

" _Listen to yourself! What happened to being a Paladin?! To protecting the universe!"_

" _Conquering it is the only way to guarantee it!"_

" _You honestly can't expect me to believe that!"_

" _I want to save the universe! All of my people do, and come Darkness or high water, we will!"_

 _Alphus tensed her hands before she spoke._

" _Then you'll do it without us. We won't be a part of this."_

" _You are only one part of_ _Voltron_ _, Alphus."_

" _And what makes you any better?"_

" _You cannot hold us all back because of your fear!"_

" _Like it or not, I_ am. _I won't let you destroy your own planet over foolish curiosity!"_

 _As Zarkon shouted at her, Alphus's hands began bleeding as her nails dug into them while her eyes glowed bright blue._

" _Foolish?! Alphus, I lead the Paladins! I command you!"_

" _YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMMAND ME!"_

 _Suddenly, Alphus sent out a burst of Quintessence from her body, forcing Alfor and Zarkon back while pushing Honerva to the wall far away before falling to the floor, earning both Alphus and Zarkon's concerns as they ran to her._

" _Oh, no..._

" _Honerva? Honerva!"_

" _What have I done...?"_

* * *

 _Later, Alfor and Alphus waited out by the door as Zarkon tended to Honerva, the latter shedding tears over what she'd done as her victim twitched._

" _We mu— We must... We must have... We must have it. Get back, get back, get back..."_

 _Zarkon then spoke to her, trying to understand her._

" _What is it, my love?"_

" _Uh, Quinte— Quintessence. Quintessence is life."_

 _She then took a sharp breath before she spoke again._

" _Into the— into the rift."_

 _She then moaned while Zarkon held his hand close to her face._

" _How?"_

" _We mu— We must— We must have_ _Voltron_ _._ _Voltron_ _!_ _Voltron_ _._ _Voltron_ _... it is the only way..."_

* * *

 _At the Castle, Zarkon spoke with the five Paladins while Alphus stayed with Honerva._

" _Alfor and Alphus tried to warn me, but I would not listen. Now, my wife has fallen ill, and my planet is on the brink of collapse. So I must beg you, my trusted comrades, to join me on a most dangerous quest. We must close the rift, and I need_ _Voltron_ _to do it."_

 _The four of them looked at each other before Marmora spoke._

" _We'll help you."_

" _I only hope it is not too late to heal the rift in my planet... and our friendship."_

 _With that, Alfor held his had to Zarkon's before they shook their hands while Alphus looked after Honerva before she tried to come to a decision._

" _I'm so sorry, Honerva... but I don't know how else to save you."_

 _With that, Alphus placed her hand on hers and generated a blue light on where her hand is placed before her twitching has ceased and her ragged breathing has now slowed to a calm one before Honerva looked at her._

" _Alphus... I'm so sorry..."_

 _Then, Alphus shushed her before she spoke softly._

" _It's okay. Just get your rest."_

 _As she shed tears upon her, Alphus heard Omegus' voice._

" _So... you've come to your senses at last, Alphus."_

 _As Alphus turned behind her, she found herself ambushed by Omegus as he knocked her to the wall unconscious before he spoke._

" _The circle is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over."_

* * *

 _Later, the Paladins arrived at Daibazaal while Alphus spoke._

"Just after I healed Honerva trying to fix my mistake, Omegus ambushed me so that Zarkon can carry out his true plan. He'd lied to them in order to bring Honerva back. Because I was unconscious, I wasn't able to tell him that. By the time I came to, they were already at Daibazaal."

 _With that,_ _Voltron_ _punched a hole into the lab before tossing it away as Zarkon spoke._

" _Honerva told me the only way to close the rift was to use the power of the Quintessence. We must make the opening bigger first to gather the power."_

" _How do we do that?"_

" _We use the sword."_

 _Then, Zarkon shouted the command._

" _Form sword!"_

 _With that,_ _Voltron_ _plunged his sword into the rift as they were blinded by the light._

" _It's too much!"_

" _Stay focused!"_

 _With that one push, they entered the reality as they woke up and groaned not long after before Blaytz and Alfor spoke._

" _Where are we?"_

" _We're in the rift."_

 _Suddenly, an alarm went off as Zarkon went out with Honerva in his arms._

" _No! Zarkon, what are you doing?"_

 _As Zarkon held her up to the light, Alfor and Blaytz spoke again._

" _We have to get them out of there!"_

" _We must hurry. The creatures have returned!"_

 _Suddenly, the creatures swarmed around_ _both Voltrons and Honerva and Zarkon, earning her grunts while Zarkon shouted before his eyes turned bright purple. Suddenly, Alphus' voice spoke up._

" _LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!"_

 _With that, the White_ _Voltron_ _rapidly sliced through the creatures, destroying them before she grabbed them and took off with the two Voltrons following her lead before they got out. As they did, a giant crater was glowing bright yellow light as the rift expanded. Upon getting out of the lions, Alphus found out to her terror that the two of them had perished due to overexposure to Quintessence as she sobbed on Honerva's corpse, holding her tightly to her chest as if she'd lost her mother. After which, the Galra was forced to leave before it was destroyed. After which, it showed the castle while Alfor and the others held a funeral. Meanwhile, Alphus was grieving as well as sobbing in her own room, much to Alfor's heartache as Alphus spoke._

"When we got out, we found out that Zarkon and Honerva died from overexposure to Quintessence. I was... shattered. I blamed myself for every moment of my waking life for what happened. If I had just told them I healed her in time prior to his attempt, none of them would've been lost to us. But that was hardly the main concern. Zarkon's attempt only pushed Daibazaal closet to the end. We were forced to evacuate the populace before we closed the rift the only way we knew how: by destroying Daibazaal. While my brother held a state funeral, I was still coping with the fact that my best friend and fellow paladin were both gone."

 _Then, Alfor found himself accompanied by another Altean and his young daughter before they walked over to her as he placed his hand on her and he spoke._

" _Alphus... I know you miss them a great deal, but you mustn't blame yourself."_

" _Why not? I kept my true identity a secret from them. This wouldn't have happened if I just told them before this. But it's too late... I can't get them back..."_

* * *

 _In the Galra cruiser, Omegus and Kaecilius appeared beside Zarkon and Honerva's covered bodies before the former spoke to them as he placed his hand in his chest, linking with him._

"I was wrong. It turned out, their bodies were... paused. Omegus' creatures made sure of that."

* * *

 _Inside the mindscape, Omegus spoke to Zarkon._

" _Zarkon... Zarkon... Zarkon!"_

 _This made him startled awake before he found himself in the presence of Omegus' true form as it towered over him._

" _Omegus! W-Why am I not one with the ancients? Am I alive?"_

" _You are not. Yet you cannot join the ancients because a certain lifeblood once flowed through your veins."_

" _Quintessence. Of course. But, what about Honerva?"_

" _Honerva has passed as well. However, I cannot be able to link with her as her quality of Quintessence is beyond yours."_

" _Beyond mine? So... I saved her?"_

" _No. Alphus has done this task before you set out to do so."_

" _But why keep this to herself?"_

" _Because, it is not a mortal's place to command a god."_

 _Then, Zarkon remembered what Alphus had done to Honerva and what she had said._

" _She was a deity this whole time? So, what happened to Honerva was no accident, then."_

" _Indeed. It is truly unjust. As such, I wish to finish what I began when I set foot on your home. And for that, my Quintessence requires a vessel."_

" _So... I shall live once more?"_

" _Only to serve me! Your husk will simply be an instrument of my will."_

* * *

 _As his eyes glowed, Omegus' light overcame Zarkon before he woke up in the real world to find that Honerva had awoken with darker blue skin and Kaecilius joining her as he lifted her up._

" _It's been a long time, partner."_

 _Suddenly, the door opened, frightening the guard as Zarkon spoke in a darker voice._

" _Where am I?"_

" _Aboard your ship, sir."_

" _Take us home."_

" _I can't, sir. Daibazaal has been destroyed."_

 _This made Zarkon's eyes tighten to a near close before Omegus spoke up in his mind._

" _How dare those wretched pests interfere... you know what to do."_

 _Later, Zarkon sent a message to the solar system, catching the paladins by surprise, Alphus most of all._

" _My fellow Galra, King Alfor of Altea has destroyed our planet. And his kin, Alphus, is a deity that exists from another reality that has allowed this atrocity to occur. They must pay dearly for their crimes. Rise up and join your emperor! Revenge will be ours!"_

 _Alphus tensed her hands in pain as she knew it meant one thing._

" _Omegus..."_

 _Then, it showed her speaking with the lions as she rewrote them. Next, it showed the three Paladins with their new partners (Senix and Liza, Alphus' husband and daughter which are paired with Blaytz, Bexul, a Galra partnered up with Gyrgan, Astral, a novice Altean alchemist joined with Trigel, and finally, Zaltron, a loyal Galran soldier which stood by Marmora's side) before they took off for their designated areas while Alphus stayed behind to rewrite the White Lion as it glowed blue circuits all over its frame as she spoke._

"Zarkon had become pure evil, just as obsessed with Quintessence as ever. With that, a new war started as Zarkon needed Voltron to open a new rift. As he overpowered the peaceful planets of our solar system, I rewrote the lions in case Zarkon did get to them. I changed their requirements to be able to fly so that they can be driven by two paladins at the start until they were comfortable enough for one of them. Given the Galra's increasingly violent nature, that wouldn't happen anytime soon. With their new partners selected, they were able to get the lions away from Zarkon. But the White Lion... it had to be a special case. In case Zarkon found a way around that, I needed to block him out from utilizing Voltron's power completely. As such, the requirement was this: that the White Lion can only be wielded by either one of Two Paladins: one of light, and one of the dark that held high regards for the good of the universe. Because, as is the case with all of us, we all have light and dark in us. That's when I saw Alfor preparing for his sacrifice."

 _Suddenly, Alphus noticed Alfor with his sword as he walked out, worrying her as she went to follow. When she saw Alfor stand against Zarkon, she saw him speaking to Zarkon and Kaecilius._

" _Zarkon, I cannot let you destroy my home!"_

" _Why not? You destroyed mine."_

" _Genocide does not justify my people's extinction!"_

 _Then, Kaecilius laughed a bit before he spoke up._

" _You speak of crimes, Alfor, but what you and your sister have done is far worse."_

" _What do you mean?!"_

" _If you had left well enough alone with that comet, there would not be a dissent between you and your comrades, let alone their peoples' annihilation. The machines you've created made this possible. All this horror, as you deem it, it all begins with you. Don't blame us for our righteous judgment. Blame yourself! That's all you can do! Vengeance belongs to the gods, after all."_

 _This made Alfor roar in anger as Kaecilius smirked before Zarkon slashed through him, landing a killing blow as he fell dead before Alphus shed tears as her eyes turned blue whilst screaming in agony._

" _NOOOOOOOOO!"_

 _By the time they noticed, they were unable to stop her shockwave from knocking them away while it also forced them the zaiforge canons that have been fired to self destruct before they could make contact and the Alteans and Galra on that planet turned to dust, save for Zarkon and Kaecilius as the blast knocked them well enough away. In the aftermath, dark clouds hung over her as they rained down upon her before she woke up and saw the damage she had caused. Not one being that is Galra or Altean were left alive as she saw countless piles of Galran and Altean clothes littering the ruins as Alphus realized her destructive powers._

" _Oh, no... not again."_

 _As tears streamed down her face, Alphus fell to the floor as she cried again for all of the souls taken by her hand before she was forced to hide under the bridge while Kaecilius spoke._

" _What has happened?"_

 _Sendak spoke to him over the communicator to answer him._

" _I don't know. But it seems to have wiped out the Alteans on this planet altogether. Our own soldiers too."_

 _This gave him an idea as he spoke._

" _Perfect. Perhaps we shall use this planet as an example for anyone who dares to defy us."_

" _What are you implying, sir?"_

" _We shall leave this planet spared. It is bound to rot sooner or later."_

" _Understood."_

 _After they had flown from the scene, Alphus held her head down in shame before she cried once again. After a moment, Alphus was forced to leave with the White Lion and depart further into space in sadness before it went back to the present._

"When Zarkon killed Alfor, I did something worse: I caused global extermination of everyone on Altea with my sorrow. In my shame, I swore never to return to this solar system ever again and took the White Lion with me to Planet X, a place I named where no one could find me for 10,000 years... until now."

In the Castle, the whole group was shocked over what she'd done as Allura and Babak spoke.

"You mean _you_ destroyed Altea's citizens?"

"Alphus... how could you?"

As Alphus held her head down, Zarkon felt even worse.

"This wasn't her fault. It was my doing. If I had just set my pride aside, I wouldn't have forced Alphus into this. In fact, Alphus was the whole reason I... commenced a relationship with your mother, Ayame."

"What?"

"When I captured your mother and her crew from Earth, I saw the same spirit Alphus had inside her. And that spirit needed to have a generation that can withstand this trying time. It was a miracle I was able to have a few moments with her before Omegus took control again. But... I didn't want to achieve it out of desperation. I wanted it to be on her terms. So, I told your mother of my exploits as a Paladin of Voltron. I told her every painful and agonizing detail of my story. Perhaps it was out of pity or of concern for the universe, but either way... she agreed. She cared about you more than anything else. And so did I, knowing you would be the future for the Galra, whether Honerva wished to believe it or not. So, when I found out you were terminated... I was broken. I thought I'd lost hope. I am so proud to see I am wrong."

As Ayame held her head down, Adea, Luzria, Lapis, and Atchiam felt bad for her before he spoke again, trying to hold back the hurt from manipulating his voice.

"And, about your mother, I know it's not enough, but... I really am sorry."

Then, Ayame hugged Zarkon quickly as his eyes widened before he returned the favor. As for Honerva, she still felt hurt before Jenny held her hand and walked her out of the bridge. When they stopped at the hall, Jenny spoke to Honerva.

"Let them have this. We've all suffered enough already. Besides, Zarkon did it for the universe, for you. You wouldn't be here as you are if he didn't do that."

Honerva then smiled at her as she spoke softly.

"You sound just like me when I was your age..."

"I do?"

"Yes. But you mustn't make the same mistakes I made. Or you'll be too much like me..."

Then, Jenny spoke to her as she went to her knees and held her hands atop of Honerva's.

"That's going to be a problem... because... I want you to teach me."

This made her eyes widen as the young girl explained.

"There's so much about my culture that I don't know, so much to gain from it. I need your help. Please..."

Honerva felt she wasn't in quite the position to accept that after what she'd done, but then, she saw herself as a young child before she smiled at her and spoke.

"Very well. What would you like to know?"

Before she could reply, they noticed Shiro walking by then with his hair cut off as they looked on in awe and wonder at his recovery before she spoke.

"Maybe I'd like to know what's really going on with Shiro..."

As he walked forward, the group spoke far away with Pidge and Keith speaking.

"So, Zarkon's right. His plan is to cross into other universes and get the purest Quintessence possible."

"No matter what, we have to stop him."

With that, Shiro walked in as he spoke.

"Great job out there, everyone. You've really turned the tide in this war. I'm glad you never lost sight of the mission while I was gone."

Lance and Allura felt happy to see him in shape again.

"You're looking better."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Just trying to get rid of this weird headache."

Then, Alphus walked over to him before she spoke.

"Well, you'll have to hold off on that. You have to know why we have to stop Lotor."

Meanwhile at Base: Xanthium, it showed Kaecilius walking with a red and black hood over him as he entered the elevator and traveled down in it before the doors opened to allow him to see a body resembling Shiro in a capsule before he removed his hood, exposing his now purple, long, and spiky hair going down by his pointy ears as he walked to him as he spoke, as if somehow communicating to the original.

"I've done it, Shiro. Achieved the unimaginable. Sculpted your clone with a strand of DNA from a fleck of blood, swabbed from the scene of your epic final battle. Your doppelganger will soon possess your speed, strength, morality even. But not your mind. He only knows what I've programmed him to know, since you've taken your secrets to the proverbial grave. But why should I complain? Your data has provided me more than I ever imagined. As long as this vessel of mine, one of the first of many in store, that will be all for me. I resented being cheated out of orchestrating your destruction, but I'm over it. In fact, this whole miserable experience has only made me stronger. Put me back in touch with my roots. So, now that you are no longer a drag to my plans..."

Kaecilius then opened a dark veil, witnessing Alphus conversing with the Shiro about stopping Lotor.

"...you shall help me to achieve them."


	35. Code of Honor

**Chapter 34:** Code of Honor

On an ocean, a buoy was ringing just as a Galra Cruiser arrived before the commander of said cruiser engaged in a check-in with the captain of the base.

"This is Galra Cruiser beta-nine. We are within range and requesting permission to dock."

"Proceed."

With that, the Cruiser submerged into the ocean before they witnessed a giant base underneath before the captain spoke to his crew over the PA.

"A priority one-shipment is en route. Activate the docking station immediately."

With that, the station activated green lights just as one of the soldiers complained about the base's integrity.

"I can't believe we're stuck here. This base predates the Zaipirium Siege. It's amazing this equipment remains operational."

"We're lucky to have it since the rebels overran the Sigma-3 Quadrant. It's all we have left in the system."

Then, the other soldier opened the hatch before a large capsule of sorts entered the station as Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, Lapis, Caxas, Jareth, Regris, and Keith noticed the contents alongside Zaltron and Kolivan as the former of the leaders spoke up.

"But the Komar was overloaded. How are the Galra still producing such vast amounts of Quintessence?"

This made Adea think of a certain creepy scientist Jenny told her about once.

"What about the real Komar? Do you think he's behind this?"

Kolivan thought of a way to remedy this.

"There's only one way to know for sure. Lapis, Caxas, you and your team find out where it's coming from and where it's going."

"Yes, sir. Come on, guys."

As Adea, Caxas, Luzria, Atchiam, and Lapis took off, Kolivan turned to Keith, Regris, Sandra, and Jareth.

"The rest of you, get a reading on that shipment. Remember, this is purely intelligence gathering. Do not engage."

Keith nodded to him before they took off.

In the main office, the Galra commander was dozing off just as Luzria, Atchiam, and Adea walked in quietly before they realized his position.

"He's not doing anything."

This made Adea smile before getting out a marker.

"Never pass out when the marker's about..."

"Adea, no. Not during the mission. Honestly, you've been spending time with Jenny too much."

With that, Adea grumbled before Atchiam spoke to the remainder of the group.

"How are things on your end?"

Lapis and Caxas were sliding down the elevator and opening a hole before putting in a data cartridge and getting access as the former answered.

"So far, so good."

In the office, the three noticed the monitors flicking in and out between the Blade's data and the Galra's as Adea grew worried it would stir him awake. Fortunately, it didn't as Adea sighed.

"You're clear, guys."

Then, Lapis turned to her partner.

"Caxas."

"I'm on it."

With that, Caxas began downloading data from the computer.

In the meantime, Keith, Sandra, and Jareth were scanning the contents and displaying the results to Kolivan and Zaltron.

"Impossible. It's overloading our monitors."

"The only Quintessence capable of that is Altean Quintessence. But... how?"

Then, as Keith was finished, Sandra got out her luxite katana before she sliced him swiftly. However, Sandra failed to notice another drone about to fire until Regris tripped it with his tail. However, it also alerted the others as it fired upward.

"The op is compromised. Abort! Extraction point in two doboshes. This is a hard out."

This made Caxas groan before he unloaded the cartridge and spoke.

"Well, so much for a smooth mission."

With that, Lapis and Caxas slid down from the shaft as Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria took off from the room, bewildering the guard as he woke up. Meanwhile, Keith, Sandra, Jareth, and Regris retreated to the ship whilst taking out the drones. When they got there, they noticed that Zaltron and Kolivan were the only ones present before Keith spoke to Zaltron.

"They're not back?"

"They have 30 ticks."

This made Keith run out of the ship as Zaltron spoke to his pilot.

"Begin preparations for takeoff."

As the ship started, Keith noticed Lapis, Caxas, Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria taking out the drones on their way to the ship as Adea shouted.

"Don't leave without us!"

As they group got on board, Keith saw Lapis trip before he ran over to her and held her up as he spoke.

"It's okay. I got you."

With that, they headed to the ship as the doors began closing with Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, and Caxas making it through before Keith and Lapis did. As he took his breath, he spoke to her.

"Will you be alright?"

"I guess."

Then, Zaltron kneeled to Keith as he spoke.

"What have you done?"

"I saved your daughter."

"And broke protocol."

Keith spoke again as he removed the hood and deactivated his mask before Kolivan did the same.

"I had to."

"You didn't consider that something could've happened to you. That would make six men down instead of five."

Adea felt hurt by his words.

"So, you don't even care about us?"

"Every member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is most important than the individual. This isn't Voltron."

"I understand that. In Voltron, we would've gone back in to save Lapis and her team. I went back to save the mission. Caxas and the others had the intel. Getting them and it back on the ship was worth the risk."

As Keith handed said intel to Kolivan, he walked away while Atchiam spoke to him.

"You gotta admit, chief. He does have a point."

* * *

Then, while Lapis and her team remained with the Blades, Keith headed back to Olkarion to report back to Shiro and Alphus, who were managing the surveillance of the lions and their assigned ships as he walked in.

"Keith, good, you're back."

"The team's on a mission. You need to get to your lion and join them immediately."

"I will, but I think we just discovered a new form of Altean Quintessence."

This piqued Alphus' curiosity before she spoke.

"Altean Quintessence?! How?!

"I don't know, but the readings are off the charts. lol Ivan and Zaltron said it could be linked to Komar or Lotor."

Shiro was only focused on the mission as he spoke.

"Okay, we'll discuss it when you return. The team's escorting refugees out of the Fimm System."

"This is Lotor we're talking about. He hasn't been seen in months. This might be our chance to track him down."

"I said, we'll discuss it later. Right now, I need you to focus on your mission at hand."

"But—"

"This isn't a request, Keith. Get to the Fimm System. That's an order."

This made Keith's eyebrows go down before he walked away. As he did, Alphus got an uneasy feeling from it.

* * *

At the Fimm System, the lions hooked onto their transports before they boosted themselves toward Olkarion as Jenny and Lance spoke up.

"About time. What were you doin'?"

"Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?"

"Sorry I'm late."

* * *

At Olkarion as the ships landed, Shiro spoke with Keith as the latter asked him about the details.

"Were you and Alphus able to speak with Kolivan and Zaltron about the intel?"

"We did, and we need to find out all we can about that Quintessence. But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader."

"I know they do, and it should be you."

"Keith, we've discussed this before. Besides, we both know that the Black Lion has chosen you."

"You only tried once. You had a connection with the Black Lion and I know it's still there. If you just give it another shot—"

"Keith, we all have a part to play. This is mine now. I've come to terms with that. Now, you need to. I support your decision to continue with you and Sandy's Marmora training, but not at the expense of the team. They need you, Keith. They need you to be their leader."

* * *

Later, at the Castle, Babak had called the Paladins in to discuss a mission.

"Okay, everyone. Today, we'll be heading to Reiphod, a planet recently liberated from Galra and Drule forces alike."

Keith felt it was unnecessary.

"This is embarrassing. We're basically the grand marshal of a parade."

Coran felt different.

"Not a parade. A show of arms."

Pidge couldn't really care about the name so much as the repetitiveness of it.

"Whatever it is, this is the second one of those we've done just this week."

Alphus turned to Pidge as she spoke.

"I know it's not exactly battling the Drule, but believe it or not, this helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances."

Lance was only focused on the fun part as he spoke.

"Right, right, strongholds, blah-dy, blah-dy, blah. Now, I say we go over our Lion choreography one more time. I don't want a repeat of what happened last time, Hunk."

"I thought my lion had more room."

Then, Kolivan suddenly appeared on the com link to the Castle.

"Shiro, my apologies for interrupting, but this is an urgent matter. A Drule supply ship has been spotted passing through Quadrant Omega-Raylar-Six."

Shiro, knowing how their supply routes work, grew confused about its path.

"What's it doing so far from the normal supply routes?"

"We can't be certain, but taken together with the fact that Lotor hasn't been seen in quite some time and the emergence of this new form of Altean Quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate. Normally, we would wait for better intel, but I believe we should act on this now."

Ayame felt as though he'd forgotten a certain team.

"Why not send Rogue Thrust?"

"We have. We haven't heard from them in a varga. We can only assume that they've been captured."

"I'll send Voltron to intercept."

"No. We're also getting the sense that it might very well be a trap. And even if it wasn't, an infiltration mission makes more sense. We can plant a tracker and see just how far the supply route extends. With all the Drule and Galra activities as of late, my agents are spread thin."

Then, Keith took the opportunity to speak up.

"Not anymore. Count me and Sandy in."

Lance grew worried about their own mission.

"Hey, what about our performance? We can't razzle-dazzle the crowd with just four lions of the main Voltron."

"This mission is more important than a show of arms."

Jenny begged to differ.

"And the mission is more important than Ayame? How dare you..."

Ignoring Jenny's rant, Ayame spoke to Keith out of worry.

"Keith, we're expanding the coalition. I get that the mission is important, but so is building an alliance to stop Kaecilius and the Galra Empire."

Taken aback by this, Keith held his head down as he spoke.

"Ayame... I just... I have to take the shot if it means we'll find Lotor that much sooner."

Ayame then turned her head away as she spoke solemnly before Shiro spoke to Kolivan.

"Okay. I get it."

"How long will it take?"

"Not long, but we must act fast, or we risk the ship and Rogue Thrust jumping to hyperspace."

Shiro then turned to Keith as he spoke.

"Go. But when you're done, meet us on Reiphod."

* * *

On Reiphod, Coran spoke to its citizens via microphone.

"Citizens of Reiphod, on this day, we honor you for your perseverance. Your refusal to bow down in the face of such adversity is a testament to the fighting spirit of your people. You've put aside your differences and united to dispel the oppressive Drule and Galra regimes, bringing freedom to all!"

The whole crowd cheered as one of them held a board of a drawing of Shiro with sparkles near him before Coran spoke again.

"We thank you for joining the coalition and continuing the fight against the Galra that began with the reemergence of the five Lions of Voltron."

With that, the Blue, Yellow, Red, and Green lions arrived with the White Lion in the center, each entailing a certain color of dust appropriated with the colors of their armor behind them as Lance spoke.

"I thought Keith said he was gonna be here. He's going to ruin our show!"

Allura and Jenny didn't care about that aspect.

"Lance, this isn't just about putting in a good show. It's about uniting people and bringing them to the coalition to help in the fight against Kaecilius."

"Besides, the people down there don't seem to notice that the Black Lion is supposed to lead Voltron. So far, so good."

"Fine. I don't even know why I try."

* * *

Meanwhile, in outer space, Keith, Sandra, Caxas, Jareth, Regris, and Kolivan jumped out of the ship before Kolivan spoke.

"Triangulate positions around the ship."

With that, they used their jet packs to boost themselves toward the ship before Keith landed on it and planted a device, checking it for any signs of life. Fortunately, there were four.

"That's gotta be Rogue Thrust. But other than them, there's no biorhythms."

"Could be a crew of sentries. Let's get in and find out."

Later, they got in the ship before they met up as Regris spoke.

"I completed the sentry scan. There are none on board."

"But we still haven't found Lapis or Rogue Thrust yet."

Kolivan felt as though there's more to it than that.

"Something's not right here. We should leave."

"We came all this way. We're not leaving without them."

"Besides, we should at least place the tracker and see where this ship ends up."

Kolivan would've argued, but he also knew there was little point in convincing him.

"Let's make it quick."

With that, they went inside the main hub before they noticed Lapis and her team unconscious on the floor before he gasped.

"Oh, no..."

Caxas had an idea how to fix this as he spoke.

"Jareth and I will pick them up."

In the meantime, Regris and Sandra spoke up on their tasks.

"I'll check the logs."

"Planting the tracker."

As Caxas carried Adea and Lapis, Jareth held Atchiam while Keith held Luzria before a message appeared on the logs with Kaecilius speaking to them.

"So, Black Paladin, I noticed you've been taking some time off from Voltron. Is that safe to say? Well, I'm afraid that will be your fatal mistake."

With that, the countdown began as Regris tried to stop it with the doors closed behind them.

"I'm locked out of the system."

"It's rigged to blow!"

"The ship's a decoy! Everyone out!"

Then, Kolivan and Sandra tried to pry open the gates as Regris spoke.

"Attempting to override."

As they got the door open, Keith, Caxas, and Jareth ran out with Rogue Thrust as Keith spoke to him.

"There's not enough time! Come on!"

"Just a few more ticks."

Keith tried to pull him back, only for Sandra to stop him before she and Kolivan ran out with Keith and Luzria.

"Regris, no!"

Suddenly, the main room of the ship detonated, sending debris out into space.

* * *

On Reiphod, the lions shot at targets while Coran spoke.

"By joining the Voltron Alliance, you are joining up with the Defenders of the Universe, who will do whatever it takes to spread peace and freedom to every galaxy."

* * *

Back at outer space, Keith floated by himself as he tried reaching out to his comrades.

"Hello? Kolivan? Caxas? Jareth? Sandy? Anyone?"

Hearing no answer, he assumed what happened as he felt a hole in the side and growled.

"Communication must be broken."

Fortunately, Sandra responded as she spoke.

"Actually, I can hear you, Keith. But we've lost Rogue Thrust in the explosion. Do you know if they made it out?"

As an answer, Keith noticed Adea, Lapis, Atchiam, and Luzria floating with no helmet before he spoke.

"I've found them, but they don't have much time!"

"I'll help you!"

With that, Sandra used her functioning jet pack to boost herself towards Aden and Atchiam before handing them over to Keith as she spoke.

"Stay here. I'll get the rest and bring you when I'm done."

* * *

At Reiphod, Jenny and Ayame transformed the White Lion into its robot form as the other lions joined its side while they went in the air as Lance spoke elatedly.

"They're loving us! Razzle-Dazzle!"

Then, they group went down in synchronization towards the crowd.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sandra had managed to get Luzria and Lapis before she went back to Keith and spoke.

"Okay, Keith. That's everyone. I think. But where's the ship?"

As Keith looked, he found it behind the wreckage in view.

"The ship. I've found it, sis."

"Great. Do you think you can make it?"

"We'll see."

With that, Sandra jumped up with Lapis and Luzria while Keith jumped up with Adea and Atchiam in tow as he followed behind her using a tow line. She flew past several debris and managed to land in the ship before the countdown to close the door began, urging Sandra to pull on the cable, thrusting Keith, Luzria, and Lapis into the room as he gasped before taking a deep breath as Kolivan, Caxas, and Jareth walked in to see them as Sandra spoke.

"Where's Regris?"

Jareth held his head down as he spoke.

"He... didn't make it out. I'm sorry."

This made Sandra widen her eyes before Keith held his head down as Sandra spoke.

"We need to take them to Azix. Now."

* * *

At Reiphod, the lion and the White Voltron flew above the crowds as Coran spoke.

"And just as Voltron has shown what can be done when five individuals combine their powers together, so, too, can we combine our powers with those on Planet Reiphod and grow ever stronger. For it is the individual willing to take up arms that strengthens the whole. And with that strength, we will be unstoppable!"

As the crowd cheered, Coran spoke to himself.

"And cue Voltron with the sword..."

With that, the White Voltron seemed to take Coran's cue as it summoned a naginata and raised it to the sky, earning a thunderous applause from the crowd as Coran smiled.

"Nailed it."

* * *

Later, at Olkarion, Keith walked in to see Ayame standing in front of him as he spoke.

"Ayame... I know you didn't want me to go, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture."

"I heard about what happened to Lapis and her team. I'm sorry."

"Thanks."

"I know how important your work with the Blades is, Keith. They had a hand in helping to bring peace to the Galra Empire, Lapis and her team especially. And while I'm as surprised as you are about where this new Altean Quintessence supply line came from, I just can't—"

"I said I didn't want a lecture."

"Keith, the team needs you, including me. If the coalition expands more of itself, we'll be able to bring the Galra Empire back to how it was 10,000 years ago before Alphus and Omegus ever came."

"The Blade of Marmora's doing the same thing. And I'm doing this for you. And your family. And for the sake of the universe."

"I know you are. But... is that really enough for you?"

With that, Ayame walked past Keith before looking back as he held his head down before she walked again.

* * *

Over time, Voltron had brought more refugees to Olkarion as its buildings and number of occupants expanded before Kolivan spoke to Keith, Sandra, and the rebels, as well as the recovered Rogue Thrust.

"The fact that the Drule are using decoy ships proves that there is something larger going on. We've been tracking new shipments of this new Altean Quintessence. It's running along a previously unknown route which we partially identified here. We believe he next stop could be in the Karthan-Sigma Quadrant. Keith, Sandra, Lapis, you and your team will need to get onto the ship undetected and set a series of explosives."

At a distant planet far away, Keith and Sandra set up the explosives on the buildings before they kept their distance and ran before they exploded.

* * *

Later, as the Paladins were handing out supplies, Ayame noticed Keith far away before he noticed her and held his head down before he put the mask on and ran with Kolivan before Jenny walked up to her.

"Did you see him yet?"

Ayame only sighed before she answered solemnly.

"No."

"Okay. Well, here's another shipment."

As Ayame took the shipment, Shiro walked up to the Black Lion at the Castle before staring at it.

* * *

At Kaecilius' Cruiser, he saw the Black Lion for himself through a veil before he spoke.

"Perfect. With the Black Paladin taking repetitive absences as of late, Kuron would have to step in his place sooner or later. And when he does... Voltron will be mine. All it'll take to bring about change that much quickly... is a crisis."

* * *

Meanwhile, Honerva assumed the disguise of Haggar as she tried to reason with Lotor.

"Lotor, while you distance yourself from central command, Drule forces have taken entire star systems from our hands."

"You thin clutching on to worthless outposts strengthens our empire?"

"Your father knew those outposts would one day become strongholds."

"My father is M.I.A., and I'm in control."

"You say you rule, yet you stay hidden. An emperor must be seen. His absence diminishes his power."

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Now, do not bother me again."

* * *

At Olkarion, Babak retrieves a signal just as Alphus went to him.

"What's going on."

"We received a distress signal, Alphus. One of our convoys has been ambushed by a squadron of Drule cruisers."

Shiro knew what he was talking about as he, Jenny, and Ayame spoke.

"Our medical supply ships. We can't allow Kaecilius to get them."

"We gotta go. Voltron can keep those things occupied long enough for them to escape."

"Except it can't. Keith isn't here yet."

"What? Well, where is he?"

Shiro had a feeling about what he's doing as Ayame's face expressed sadness while Jenny caught onto that and felt bad for her.

"They're probably on a mission. I knew this would happen sooner or later. You'll have to go on without Keith. The convoy needs you immediately. Alphus and I'll send him to help as soon as we find him."

"Right."

With that, they all took off for their lions as Alphus, Babak, Coran, and Shiro looked on.

* * *

In outer space, Kaecilius kept a close eye on his ships as the Paladins, except for the Black Lion, managed to make it to the convoys as Lance spoke.

"We gotta get that ship out of the tractor beam."

"I'll try to ram it. Cover me!"

As Hunk darted towards the ships, the cruiser sent a barrage of them, scaring Hunk as he was forced to pull up.

"Never mind! There's too many! I can't tan that many!"

Then, Jenny and Ayame spoke up.

"Don't worry, guys!"

"We'll try to help!"

With that, Jenny and Ayame activated the White Lion's Voltron mode before unleashing a dual naginata coated with blue Quintessence on one end and violet Quintessence on the other before it tossed its weapon in a spiral that took down the cruisers and countless fighters as Kaecilius spoke.

"Hmm. I'm not amused. Perhaps my thrall needs more incentive."

With that, Kaecilius spoke to his men.

"Soldiers, convene with my men on these coordinates!"

* * *

As more ships popped up via hyperdrive as per his request, the Paladins began to panic with Hunk speaking first before Lance and Pidge.

"Someone must've called for backup!"

"They're everywhere!"

"There are more fighters than we've ever seen!"

"Allura, I need your help! I got two on my tail!"

"I'm sorry, I can't get to you! They're all over me!"

Jenny and Ayame gave the bad news as well.

"And we're a little preoccupied at the moment!"

"Every time we get rid of these ships, two more of each just comes back!"

This made Shiro growl before he walked away as Alphus spoke.

"What are you going?"

"Whatever I can."

* * *

As Shiro went inside the Black Lion, he heard the Paladins' voices in his helmet, tensing his hands further.

"I take out one, but two more replace it!"

"The supply ship is almost captured. Can anyone get to it?"

"I'm trying!"

"Where are they all coming from?"

"Watch out behind you!"

"Do the rebel ships have a shot?"

"I have a visual on them, guys, but they're fish in a barrel."

"We can't do this without Voltron!"

"Where are you, Keith?!"

As Ayame said those words, Shiro pleaded with the Black Lion.

"Please. People's lives are at stake. You trusted me once. Trust me again."

Suddenly, the Black Lion activated itself before it roared and went to join the fight.

* * *

Meanwhile, countless Drule ships ambushed the Paladins as Hunk spoke.

"Even with the White Voltron, there's no way we can beat all these fighters with only four lions!"

Then, Shiro's voice spoke up to them as the Black Lion arrived.

"You don't have to!"

"Shiro!"

"Takashi!"

"No way!"

With that, the Black Lion used its jaw blade to decimate the fighters before Shiro spoke.

"Converge on me. It's time to form Voltron!"

As the lions went together, Voltron is forged once more before it went through the armies of Kaecilius and decimated them before they focused on the rebel ships.

"Rebel craft, you're safe. We'll escort you the rest of the way to Olkarion."

In his cruiser, as he watched from the purple veil, Kaecilius smirked.

"Perfect. My puppet has done it. With him at the helm, Voltron shall face judgment much sooner than anticipated."

* * *

Later, the Paladins waited up at the main hall (except for Ayame) before Keith entered.

"Guys, I..."

As he noticed their looks of disappointment, Jenny shouted at him.

"Where the quiznak were you, man?!"

"I heard what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

Allura, Lance, and Pidge felt differently.

"You keep saying you're sorry, but your actions say otherwise. Do you realize that your absence put the team in jeopardy?"

"And not just the team, the refugees as well."

"Matter of fact, the entire quadrant was in danger."

"This is not the way I wanted this to happen. But, if there's a bright side to any of this, it's that my absence allowed Short to reestablish his bond with the Black Lion. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be. I'm not meant to pilot the Black Lion."

This made Jenny prick her ears as she spoke.

"Is that why you've been pulling away from us?"

"Yeah. I suppose that's part of it."

This made Hunk confused at the prospect of its meaning.

"Part of it? What's the other part?"

"Lapis and the Blades have been making real headway tracking the source of this new Altean Quintessence. They've been able to piece together a large network of hidden supply lines that have been secretly transporting it for who knows long. And there's good reason to believe it could lead us directly to Lotor. A mission is being planned to infiltrate the supply line. It could take weeks, maybe months to pull off, but... if there is a chance... we have... I have to take it. I need to be on that mission. Shiro, you are the rightful leader of this team. And you proved it today by reconnecting with the Black Lion. It was always meant to be yours."

With that, Shiro placed his hand on his shoulder before he spoke.

"Keith... if this is what you feel is right, then we won't try to stop you. But just know that we're here for you whenever you need us."

"I know you are. And I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Then, Shiro and Keith hugged each other before Hunk, who was showing big tears from his face along with Jenny, spoke.

"I can't be left out of this!"

With that, the Paladins did a group hug with Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny crying before Pidge, Lance, Allura, and Jenny spoke.

"We're really gonna miss you."

"Yeah. Who am I gonna make fun of?"

"I know you'll make us proud."

"Don't forget about Ayame, okay? She'll miss you the most."

This made Keith realize that he hasn't seen Ayame since he walked in and look around for her, but couldn't find her in the group hug before he spoke to Jenny.

"If you find Ayame, Jenny... can you tell her I'm sorry?"

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

Jenny then pointed to Ayame who waited outside the main hall before he went over to her and walked out of the room before he spoke.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, Ayame..."

Ayame then grabbed his arms before she spoke.

"No... this isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again... won't we?"

Keith smiled at the thought before he spoke.

"Yeah. Of course."

With that, the two hugged each other deeply before Keith let go and walked away from her before he turned back to her one last time. As he met Ayame's sad face bearin a small tear down her face, Keith spoke as he smiled sadly.

"See you soon."

Finally, he walked out of the Castle, never to be seen for a long time. Then, Jenny remembered someone else she's been keeping with her as she walked out of the room to be with Ayame.

"Oh, right. Ayame..."

As Ayame shed a tear before wiping it away, she spoke to Jenny.

"Yeah?"

"Someone else has to leave, too. Iyera needs to go back home. Can you come with me? It's just... I just want you to be okay."

Ayame then hugged Jenny, still trying to get over Keith leaving the team as she whispered to her.

"Yeah... I'll go."


	36. Reunion

**A/N: Hello. Just giving you a heads-up about an upcoming new character that will help Matt named Zegdal. He has been an ex-Blade of Marmora for 20 decaphoebes due to his standing on fighting as opposed to hiding. Other than that, not much is known about him... yet. Anyway, he will be portrayed by Vic Mignogna as a fit for his character. There's also another surprise in this chapter that I am not willing to say. You'll have to read on and see. Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 35:** Reunion

 _At school, Pidge, or Katie as she was known as back then, was staring up at the sun where the rocket was taking off to as Mr. York spoke._

" _Photons from the visible spectrum are manipulated, creating a quantum storage network. It's the most advanced system available."_

 _Then, Katie spoke differently._

" _Actually, the Galaxy Garrison is performing tests using DNA helixes as storage. That's the same way genetic information is stored in our bodies."_

 _While Mr. York was surprised by this information, the students looked at her blankly before one of them called her a name._

" _Nerd."_

 _As the students laughed, Katie shed small tears before Mr. York spoke up._

" _Alright, class. That's enough. Katie here has given us insight of what the Galaxy Garrison is capable of, even though she didn't raise her hand. So, the least you can do is keep your criticisms to yourself. That goes for you too, Mr. Brierty."_

 _Embarrassed, Zach muttered under his breath._

" _Got it."_

" _Now, taking in this knowledge, what do you think is the best course of action?"_

 _Then, a small girl voice spoke up as she raised her hand._

" _Oh, oh, oh! I know!"_

" _Yes, Ms. Shaybon?"_

" _We should use that information to improve the way we use our technologies and accept other peoples' opinions."_

" _Well said, Ms. Shaybon. And what better way to improve yourselves with... than homework!"_

 _This made the whole class, save for Katie, groan as Jenny spoke._

" _What?"_

 _When class ended, as the students walked out, Jenny noticed Katie's Dad look on her face as she sighed._

" _I hope she's going to be okay..."_

* * *

 _Unfortunately, Jenny's hopes did not come true as Katie had tossed her textbook to the wall as she shouted in frustration moments before Matt came in with a slice of cake._

" _Hey, Pidge?"_

" _I hate it when you call me that."_

" _Sorry, Katie. Mom told me what happened today."_

 _As he set the cake down beside her, Matt continued speaking to her._

" _I know what it's like to be the nerd. But you've gotta keep studying hard."_

" _What's the point?"_

" _Well... it was my brain that got me into the Galaxy Garrison."_

 _Hearing this changed Katie's tune as she got surprised._

" _You got in?! Yes!"_

" _I guess it was my brains. Could have been my good looks or my big muscles."_

 _This made Katie giggle before she spoke in elation._

" _That's amazing! Oh, man! I'm so excited!"_

 _Then, Katie went back to her textbook and placed it back on the table before Matt spoke._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Studying. So I can get into the Garrison with you and Dad."_

 _This made Matt smile at her sister's determination._

* * *

In the present time, Pidge had a sad look on her face before she took off her glasses and put on her helmet as Lapis spoke.

"Pidge, I know this is a big deal for you, but don't forget, you're not the only one on that mission. And you'll have to get used to them. I know I had to."

"Noted."

Then, Luzria spoke from in the hull next in curiosity.

"So, what does your mission have to do with ours?"

"The intel that shopkeeper gave me leads me to believe my brother _and_ your contact could pull out of their location at any time. I need to act fast. This may be our only chance. Plus, you guys have plenty to do on Olkarion and Planet X, wherever that is."

Then, Jenny, who holds Ayame, Honerva, Iyera, and Alphus, spoke up to Pidge on the comms next.

"I'm just sad I don't get to help you, Pidge. But Planet X is kinda private business, so... yeah, there's that."

"I hope you'll find your family, Pidge. We both do."

"Thanks, Ayame."

Then, Hunk spoke up next.

"Hey, while you're out, will you look for some more fluuto beans?"

This made Lance's face frown before he shouted.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! No more beans for Hunk!"

Pidge groaned at this before she spoke.

"Gotta go."

With that, the Green Lion took off towards a Planet with bright lights in the dark side of it.

* * *

On the surface of it, Pidge, Adea, Atchiam, Lapis, and Luzria were wearing hooded robes over them as they walked through the alley while Adea spoke.

"Hey, Luzria, do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

"Of course. People can't get enough of me. You'll get used to it."

"That's not what I meant."

Then, Pidge spoke to her as she checked on the map.

"Relax, Adea. It's just how typical underground cities are."

As she looked at the map, they found a red spot as they looked in that area before Lapis opened the door as Adea shouted for anyone's presence once the door closed.

"Hello?"

As a response, she heard clanking far away before she went to that direction as did the others. In doing so, they've found an Unilu sitting by himself as he spoke.

"Shop's closed."

Adea was about to speak when Lapis stopped her and Pidge took her place.

"We're just looking for directions to a show. I heard it's explosive."

This made the Unilu smile before he spoke.

"So you're the one looking for the nano-thermite titanium-boron? Very expensive. Difficult to procure, I assure you."

As the Unilu displayed it, Atchiam thought of the firepower the Blades (if not lost likely herself) would have as she made a giddy smile before Pidge crushed her dreams.

"Keep it."

This made Atchiam's eyes widen before she groaned in disappointment.

"Aw, come on, Pidge!"

"You're backing out of our agreement?"

"Altering it, in your favor. I'll still give you the money, but, in return, you tell me who is on this video and where to find them."

As Pidge showed the video of the people who used those weapons, the Unilu only showed a lack of memory.

"Why would I know these people?"

"Because they used nano-thermite titanium-boron, and you're the only one in this section of the galaxy that seems to be selling it."

The Unilu seemed to have dastardly plans in mind as he stood up.

"I've had some good luck selling things of value."

Then, he pulled out his swords as he continued.

"And I think the Drule would pay a lot to know how you got your hands on that security footage."

"Really? This is how we're doing it? All we want is the information."

Luzria spoke differently.

"Yeah, well _he_ wants to skin us alive."

Luzria clearly wasn't a fan of that plan as she got out her luxite sword before turning it into a rapier and parried his swings before Pidge got out her bayard and hit the table before the Unilu spoke to Luzria.

"And I'll bet they'll pay extra for that luxite you're holding. Must be my lucky day."

Luzria only smirked as Pidge pulled on the table and she ducked, allowing the table to hit the Unilu in the back of the head before she spoke.

"Well, I'd say your luck just ran out."

Then, Lapis got the intel while Atchiam

got her weapons of desire as she got the money that Pidge promised out on the table as she spoke.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

As they walked out, the Unilu grumbled before Adea stuck her tongue out and closed the door.

* * *

In the Green Lion, Luzria spoke about their outcome of the situation.

"Well, that could've gone better."

Then, Luzria saw the face that Pidge was looking for and grew confused about his identity.

"Who is that?"

"Te-osh. Looks like a positive ID."

"Huh. I guess that's an acceptable name, for a different race."

As the scanner showed the info, Pidge was looking for the most important one.

"Last known whereabouts..."

As Pidge searched it, a planet appeared in the intel as she spoke.

"Kraydah's moon."

* * *

Later, in the city, Vezek spoke to the Unilu.

"And where did they go?"

"I... I don't know."

In response, Vezek glared his red eyes before a hole was suddenly punched into the wall beside him, earning his panic before he complied.

"They're looking for someone on Kraydah's moon. But you don't want to mess with them. The weapons they were packing... I think one of them's a Paladin of Voltron."

"And the rest?"

This made him confused before he answered.

"I dunno. I-I think they're called Swords of Zamora or something?"

Then, Vezek, having figured out who he's talking to, gripped him by his throat as the Unilu grew desperate.

"Hey! W-What are you doing?! I told you what I know! I swear!"

"I'm currently under contract to terminate them and anyone else in my way. So seeing as you're bound to go to another bounty hunter, I'm afraid that includes you."

"Aah! Come on! Wait! I promise I'll keep my mouth shut! I won't say nothing!"

"Not a chance."

Then, Vezek snapped the Unilu's neck like it was a pencil, earning his silenced, choked, gasp before he dropped the deceased being to the floor as he spoke with a smile.

"So... the hunt begins."

* * *

As for Jenny, Alphus, Honerva, Iyera, and Ayame, the White Lion was currently on autopilot towards the fabled Planet X. They'd been traveling for 30 doboshes so far as Jenny let out a sigh of boredom.

"It's been 30 doboshes, and we aren't even there yet? Can't you go any faster, White? I mean, what happened to that portal thing?"

This made Ayame remember the time she teleported to a Galra Cruiser to get the intel from Kaecilius' Cruiser.

"Come to think of it, how come you didn't teleport? I remember you doing that when we found my mom's video file."

As she remembered this, Jenny blushed before she spoke.

"Oh. I guess I forgot."

Then, Alphus came up from the hull before she shed light on both questions.

"You said you teleported? And the White Lion?"

"Uh-huh. But they're not doing it this time. Do you know why?"

"Well, were you focusing on anything in particular?"

"Just at this one cruiser where I got my Quintessence back. Long story short, I was a victim of Quintessence Drive."

"Well, that same drive must've made the residue make contact with that particular craft."

Then, Jenny widened her eyes as she came to realize something.

"So, what you're saying is that I can teleport anywhere in the universe... w-with my... blood?"

"No. Just in areas with your kind of Quintessence. What that suggests is that if you still remember being there, you'll get there in a snap."

"Huh. Now, how did I do that last time? I mean, I didn't know how to find Hunk and Lance back then. So that certainly doesn't apply in the White Lion's case, I think."

"Actually, it does. And it can also sense the other Lion's location and functions itself as a teludav to get to them."

Then, Ayame spoke about their objective.

"Okay, but what about getting to Planet X?"

"That should be easy. I've been there before."

With that, Alphus set the coordinates to Planet X before the White Lion roared, creating a portal similar to the Castle before they entered the wormhole and came out the other side before it landed on the comet-like surface as Jenny and Ayame's eyes widened in surprise before she spoke.

"Paladins of the White Lion, welcome to Planet X."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge, Lapis, and her team had reached Kraydah's moon where, upon closer scans, a fight for their base was occurring.

"Oh, no! It's a Drule attack!"

With that, Pidge pushed the levers farther to push the Green Lion towards Kraydah's moon, where the captain of its base shot at the drones before he headed to a cannon on the base while Galra soldiers shot at their own drones, backing up the captain. When he was about to take his shot, the Green Lion dismantled it before it exploded, earning surprise from the captain as the dust settled.

"Can it be? The Green Lion? What an auspicious occasion!"

As the captain ran to it, Luzria looked at him as she spoke.

"Nope. Not our contact."

"That must be one of the freedom fighters."

With that, Pidge landed the Green Lion as she and the Rogue Thrust stepped out of it before the captain spoke.

"Greetings. I am Lieutenant Ozar. You must be two of the Paladins, and a leader of the Rogue Thrust squadron."

"Yes, I'm Pidge."

"And I'm Lapis. What's happening?"

"We defeated a wave of Drule forces while the Galra helped us out. We heard Zarkon was back on the throne a changed man. Normally, I wouldn't believe it, but his men just saved ours back there. Still... I can't help but feel something's fishy."

Lapis can understand this as she spoke.

"Well, you don't have to worry, Lieutenant. If Zarkon tries anything, just leave that to us."

"Anyway, more are coming, so were evacuating. But now that you're here, we might stand a chance. Will the other lions be here soon?"

"I'm sorry, Voltron isn't coming. It's just us."

Then, Atchiam spoke up.

"We're looking for someone called Te-osh. Is she here?"

Ozar pointed to the top of the building as he spoke.

"Te-osh is inside the base loading up the last of the medical supplies. We were just about to leave. Your timing is most fortunate."

"Thank you."

"We'll help you guys load up while Pidge speaks with her."

Pidge nodded to Lapis before Ozar spoke.

"Thank you, Paladins Pidge and Lapis."

Before she could get to them, a Drule cruiser from far away fired at the ship atop the base, worrying Pidge.

"No!"

Then, the resulting debris crashed onto her as she used her shield to block it before Ozar and Lapis can guess what happened.

"They're back!"

"Already? How?"

Then, a Galra soldier spoke to his comms link.

"We're under attack from another wave of Drule ships. Requesting backup."

Suddenly, more Drule fighters arrived and shot at the ship, triggering an explosion as the ship was barely able to liftoff while Pidge ran towards her.

"Te-osh! Wait!"

As the Drule ships swarmed it, the fighter shot at the Green Lion as Lapis and her team went inside while Pidge spoke to Ozar.

"Get to cover!"

With that, Pidge took off using her jet pack and her bayard to pull herself into the Green Lion before it closed its mouth, shielding Pidge from the blast as they got jolted around before she spoke angrily.

"You're really, really gonna regret that."

With that, the Green Lion dodged its laser fire before it hit one of the ships needed for evacuation while Pidge took notice of it.

"Oh, no."

Then, the Green Lion has no choice but to clamp its jaws on the fighter before chucking it away to the ground as she spoke.

"Is everyone okay?"

"For now, thanks to you. But our ship is damaged. We are stranded and cannot help Te-osh. Please, Paladins. You must help her."

Pidge and Lapis then spoke to Ozar out of concern for his group.

"What about you?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"We know what it means to fight the Drule. The supplies on that ship are more important than our lives."

Pidge didn't believe that as she turned to Lapis before she nodded in agreement.

"Everyone aboard, now!"

Later, two fighters were fighting Te-osh who was trying to escape as her ship got blasted before the Green Lion destroyed one of them as Pidge spoke.

"Te-osh, I'm a Paladin of Voltron. I'm here to help."

Te-osh then groaned as she spoke before Lapis eased her.

"Please. I've been hit."

"Don't worry. Just find cover until it's over."

With that, the Green Lion focused its attention on the fighter before it shot at the fighter with its tail before Pidge got frustrated and fired a green blast from its back, creating vegetation within it before it exploded.

Afterwards, the Green Lion landed on the ship before Pidge and Rogue Thrust entered in the ship to see a masked figure clutching her chest as she groaned before Adea spoke.

"Oh, no. Are you okay?"

With that, Adea laid Te-osh onto the wall of the ship under the window as she talked to the worried and uneasy group.

"The ship... those supplies are needed immediately."

"Not without you."

Te-osh coughed as Pidge looked at her skeletal structure to find her rib cage was split open in three areas, earning the group's gasp as Pidge spoke.

"That's not good. I'm gonna get you some help."

As she looked at the Green Paladin, she thought she saw someone familiar as she spoke his name.

"Matt?"

"He's my brother. We're trying to find him."

"You look so much like him. It's the eyes."

Then, she coughed before Luzria spoke.

"Easy, Te-osh. You took a heavy enough bullet as is. Don't work yourself up."

She didn't listen as she handed Pidge a card of sorts.

"Here. Every rebel officer has one of these transponders. It's how we find each other in the field."

Then, she groaned as Adea grew worried, trying to hold her tears in.

"It'll be okay, Te-osh. Just hang on a bit longer, okay?"

"He may not have his anymore, but this is his code. Now, please... please help get these supplies to my people."

Adea then placed her hand in the area of injury before she spoke.

"You can't leave your people, Te-osh. Just hang on."

Then, Lapis has an idea as she got out a liquid bottle from her pack on the belt before she spoke.

"Drink this. It'll heal your bones and whatever else is damaged."

As Lapis held her head up, Te-osh drank the potion Lapis had to offer as the group watched before it was all gone. Then, Te-osh coughed before she took a deep breath and felt herself being repaired from the inside as she spoke.

"I... I'm healed?"

"Like I said you'd be. You can thank Azix for that. That's the same way he always healed us."

Te-osh chuckled before she spoke.

"Well, it seems the Blade of Marmora has a miracle worker."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny, Iyera, Honerva, and Ayame were in awe at the giant crater as Alphus showed them around.

"As you can see, it can support life, so you're free to take off your helmets."

Jenny then took off her helmet before she breathed in the air of it in surprise.

"Wow, you're right."

As Iyera grew confused at the science of it, Ayame had a theory as she removed her helmet and spoke.

"How is that possible?"

"My guess is that something inside the comet is creating its own atmosphere."

Honerva noticed the blue glow on the comet and widened her eyes even further in astonishment.

"Amazing... they have the same properties as the comet that landed 10,000 years ago."

"That's the first thing I noticed when I came here, you know, Honerva. And there's more to show inside."

As they walked in the comet, they noticed a grassy field, as well as a rainforest under the white sky as Jenny was reminded of how she found the White Lion.

"Hey! I remember! That's where I found White!"

This made Ayame raise her eyebrows in confusion.

"Really?"

"Yeah! There were these flowers that made a rainbow, and it led to a..."

Then, she gasped as she spoke.

"Oh, my gosh! You've gotta see it!"

With that, Jenny took Ayame's hand as she exclaimed while Iyera grew surprised.

"Whoa... someone's pretty excited."

Alphus giggles at this as she spoke.

"Yes, I agree."

As Iyera took off after them, Alphus turned to Honerva before she spoke.

"Honerva... I just want you to know that... I'm really sorry for what I did to you, to your race. But, this place... that's the whole reason I never came back."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Come on."

With that, Alphus and Honerva walked down the grassy field towards the White Paladins and their passenger.

* * *

Later, the group towed the ship to the planet in need of supplies before Ozar spoke.

"This should be far enough, Paladin Pidge. I've sent our coordinates to the rendezvous party, and they will be here shortly. Thank you for your help. These supplies will save countless lives in our fight against Kaecilius. I am sending you my transponder code. May the Paladins of Voltron always be able to find me, if necessary."

"Thank you."

With that, Pidge let go of the cable before the ship went to the destined planet while Pidge used the transponder to locate Matt as it beeped steadily before Adea spoke.

"So, uh, how close were you two? You and your brother."

Pidge grew curious about why she'd ask, but seeing as she wanted to know, Pidge gave her answer.

"Very close. You know, he taught me this secret code he and Dad used to talk to each other."

* * *

 _At night, Matt spoke to Katie about a message._

" _I just got a message from Dad."_

" _A message?"_

" _Well, actually, it's a quantum frequency."_

" _But I thought we weren't supposed to talk to Dad. It's a secret mission."_

" _What the Garrison doesn't know won't hurt 'em. We're using a special two-step encryption. See, Dad and I both have this book, right?"_

" _Totally."_

" _Well, that's the cipher. We need it to read the messages. So the quantum frequency tells us where in the book to look."_

" _Okay."_

" _But that's not the best part. Dad and I know a second requirement. The real code. We both memorize additions and subtractions to numbers we send so that even if someone intercepts our messages and has the same book, they still don't know what we're saying."_

 _Katie frowned at this as she spoke._

" _Seems a little low-tech."_

" _Sure, but you can't rely too much on computers. The most powerful processor you have is right here."_

 _Matt then pointed to his head as he spoke._

" _And it can never be hacked."_

" _Well, what's it say?"_

" _It says, bedtime is still ten, even if I'm in space."_

 _Katie groaned at this as she spoke._

" _Ten?"_

" _Just like the Garrison, what Dad doesn't know won't hurt him."_

* * *

In the present time, Adea was impressed.

"Wow... that is so cool. I wish I had a brother like that."

"You mean you never had one?"

"No, unfortunately... I was an only child when my parents died."

This made Pidge feel bad before she held her head down.

"Sorry, Adea. Forget I asked."

"Nah, it's cool. I'm not that bothered by it anymore. I mean, I'm with my teammates. Besides, if my parents hadn't sent me off planet, I would've been drained of Quintessence, too."

Then, Pidge looked at the transponder and saw the signal growing a bit larger.

"Matt's signal is getting stronger. He must be around here somewhere."

When she looked at where the signal is coming from, she noticed a planet that appears to hav been torn apart as she spoke.

"There! Oh, no. This... this can't be right."

"What's wrong, Pidge?"

Pidge didn't answer as she went toward the planet before they looked around the scattered surface area.

"This place... it's completely destroyed. But it says he's here."

Luzria had a sneaky suspicion about it.

"Maybe it's a trap?"

Atchiam just agreed to disagree.

"Why would Te-osh give us a code that could lead to a trap?"

"Well, don't forget, he doesn't have his transponder anymore. This could've been a way to throw someone off."

"So not much of a trap, just a dead end? That's what I'm hearing."

"Okay, fine. Maybe it's a dead end."

As the Green Lion parked, the group got out and saw a stone it's a giant statue dedicated to the warriors presented in the plaque as Lapis spoke.

"This planet... it must've been a war zone before the Komar Experiment."

As Adea looked closer at the plaque, she noticed her parents there as she spoke.

"Mom? Dad?"

As he began to shed tears, Pidge looked at the inscription on the stone as the helmet translated.

"In honor of the 127,098 brave warriors that stood against tyranny. The quest for freedom is won through sacrifice."

Pidge grew afraid of what it meant as she ran towards the exact coordinates on the transponder as Adea ran to find her own parents with Lapis, Atchiam, and Luzria following them.

"No! Please, no!"

"I'm coming, Mommy! Daddy!"

"Guys, wait!"

"Where are you going?"

"Don't go too fast!"

When they got through the plaque, Pidge and Adea only found poles of a sort that lit up the otherwise dark soil as the latter spoke to the Paladin.

"Do you see anyone there?"

"No..."

With that, Adea and Pidge ran down the hill before they split up looking for individual people of interest as Adea saw two cloaked figures as she ran toward them.

"Wait! Come back!"

All the while, Pidge looked at the transponder, hoping her brother hadn't perished. Unfortunately, when she got to the coordinates, she only noticed a small pole on the ground before realizing the outcome of what happened. Matt, her brother that she's worked so hard to find, was dead. Equally unfortunately, Adea caught up with the cloaked figures before she went through them and they faded into dust before looking to see their graves as the two began to mourn their loved ones while Pidge's helmet translated the inscription on the pole just as Lapis, Atchiam, and Luzria caught up to them with the last two comforting Pidge and Lapis comforting Adea.

"Matthew Holt. 0-0-1-0-0-5-2-5-0-0-1-4-0-4-2-8."

"I'm so sorry. I was too late."

She then sobbed as rain fell around them and she screamed.

"NO!"

As Atchiam and Luzria knelt down beside her, Luzria noticed something off in the inscription.

"Wait... I'm pretty sure your older brother wasn't 3 decaphoebes old."

Hearing her words, Pidge noticed it too.

"Wait, what? Matt's birthday is wrong."

Then, she gasped as she realized what it was.

"A quantum frequency. It's... it's a message! The code! But what... what's the second encryption item? I have the book!"

Then, Pidge got out a tablet as she typed the numbers in before she spoke.

"Now, factor in Dad and Matt's additions and subtractions..."

As she finished, the numbers revealed themselves to be , much to Pidge's relief.

"These are coordinates! He's alive! Adea! My brother's..."

Then, she noticed Adea and Lapis sitting by herself at her parents' graves as she sobbed before she figured out what it meant while Lapis spoke to her.

"You know, your parents would be proud of you for making it this far. It means you've made all of their effort to save you worth it. If that doesn't mean they loved you, I don't know what does."

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so. My dad did the same thing. So I know that your parents loved you, no matter what."

This made Adea smile with tears in her eyes before Lapis hugged her.

"And so do I..."

Catching what she meant by those words, Adea spoke to Lapis as she hugged her back.

"I love you, too."

As Pidge smiled at this, Atchiam and Luzria did the same with Luzria wiping her tears away before Lapis and Adea stood up with the former of the two speaking.

"Alright. Let's go."

As they went in the Green Lion, Adea looked back to see the cloaked figures waving to her with smiles on their faces as she waved back to them, before they vanished into dust. With that, the Green Lion took off, unsafe that Vezek saw this happen from afar as he walked back to his ship as he spoke.

"Raised in tragedy. That's more than enough proof that she's a survivor. But not for long..."

* * *

At Planet X, Jenny was showing Ayame and Iyera around the "Strangling Fruit" garden as she spoke to them.

"Right here is where I found a fruit of Kumiko killing herself. I don't know if I plucked it, but I just... spoke with it. Like I was talking to the real Kumiko. In a way, I was. Honestly, I don't know how this thing works."

Then, Alphus spoke as she and Honerva walked in to answer.

"If you've made vocal contact with the fruit here, it'll automatically be brought to the black waters before they allow you to make physical contact with the fruit to make an impact. Once that's done, the end result of that person in the fruit should be..."

Then, Jenny noticed another fruit with Adea at the graveyard planet, mourning her parents before she spoke.

"Guys, look."

As they walked over to the fruit, Ayame saw Adea crying at the loss of her parents as Lapis comforted her before she remembered what Adea told her at the quantum abyss.

"Right. Her parents were taken by the Komar Experiment."

Alphus had a solution for that as she pressed her hand on the fruit before she gently pulled it out and cradled it before she turned to another entrance where the arrow was before she spoke.

"Come on. There's more you need to see."

As they followed, they noticed the ground split apart with the black waters nowhere to be seen as Jenny explained herself.

"Oh, yeah. That's where I found the White Lion, too. After I met this shimmer. Whatever it was."

Alphus spoke onwards as they went down the entrance.

"It's fortunate you have. The Shimmer only appears to those who intrigue it."

Iyera felt as though they lost track.

"That's great, but how am I supposed to go back to my reality without the comet?"

As if to answer, the White Lion descended from the skylight and into the crevice before Alphus spoke.

"Good question."

Next, the White Lion glowed bright blue before it showed a new entrance, holding dozens of blue chrysalis pods that held countless bodies of fallen warriors as Jenny spoke.

"Whoa... I don't think I've ever been in this room before..."

"That's because you didn't ask the White Lion to open it."

"Wait. That's a thing?"

Alphus giggled at this before she spoke to the group.

"Alright. Fan out and locate Ayame's friend. Once we find her, the next step begins."

Fortunately, it didn't take long as Ayame saw Kumiko in a blue chrysalis pod by the entrance before she spoke.

"Guys! I found her!"

As they went over to her, Ayame looked at her biorhythms and confirmed what was going on as she gasped.

"She's alive, too... after all this time..."

Then, Jenny turned to her.

"Now what's the next step?"

"Iyera must give her memories of the vision to Planet X."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge and her team got to the coordinates as she spoke.

"This isn't good. Two Drule cruisers and even more nearby."

With that, the Green Lion cloaked itself as she spoke.

"I'm coming, Matt."

As they went past the cruisers, they grew closer to a sort of land chunk cut off from a planet as they went in further to see if any signs of life took place there as Adea spoke to Pidge.

"Any luck yet?"

"There doesn't seem to be anyone or anything here."

As the Green Lion landed, Pidge and her group got out of it before they went in a cave where the scanner on Pidge's gauntlet beeper before they stopped as she spoke.

"It's a dead end."

Then, Adea remembered what Kokubun had told them about their contact's tendencies.

"Are you sure? Our contact usually likes to make things look that way."

Then, Pidge looked at the ground and saw a rock on the ground with the rest of them in the air before she picked it up and dropped it before it fell and moved, giving Pidge an idea.

"Gravity? Something must be generating gravity nearby."

As Pidge shone a light over it, the ground revealed a door that led to where the gravity was before Adea opened the door and jumped down with her team and Pidge before they notice a sort of base of operations while the Green Paladin spoke.

"This must be some kind of spy facility."

Luzria knew what it meant given that it hasn't been flickering.

"That means someone's definitely here."

Then, behind them, two robes figures, one being a revel fighter and the other being a Blade of Marmora got their staff and luxite dagger out before they began to move forward, catching Adea's notice before she shouted.

"Everyone, move!"

As they got out of the way, Lapis and her team confronted the Blade while Pidge dealt with the rebel fighter that went after her as he swung his staff before Pidge jumped over him with her jet pack before she fired her bayard at him, only for the rebel to catch her weapon and slam her to the ground. After which, Pidge looked to see the Blade fighting Lapis and her team for a brief moment with the Blade easily doing a clash with Adea's scythe before Pidge dodged the rebel's staff again and he aimed to strike before she shouted to him.

"What have you done with my brother?!"

Having heard this, he was taken aback before Pidge fired her bayard at his mask, knocking it off before she ran to attack him. However, once she saw his face, she stopped just inches away from him as he spoke.

"Pidge?"

"Matt?"

Then, Matt turned to the Blade that fought the Rogue Thrust before he shouted.

"Stop, Zegdal! They're with Katie!"

Then, the Blade known as Zegdal stopped himself before he spoke.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

Then, the mask went away to reveal a brushed-back and somewhat spiky, purple hair with red irises in yellow sclera before he spoke.

"So, you must be Kolivan's group, then."

"Yes, we are. I'm Lapis, and this is Adea, Atchiam, and Luzria."

"You mean they graduated already?"

"Kind of. I was put in charge of them when we were looking for a mole. Fixed that problem."

"A mole was in the Blade of Marmora?"

"A lot has changed since you've been gone. How long ago did you leave, anyway?"

"Who keeps track of that?"

While this happened, Pidge hugged Matt as she spoke.

"Oh, my gosh! Ever since the Kerberos Mission, they said you were dead, but I knew in my heart that you weren't!"

"I can't believe you found me. It doesn't seem possible."

"The thought of you and Dad kept me going, inspired me to do the impossible."

"Okay, but seriously, how'd you get this far into space?"

"It's a long story. Is there any chance you've heard of Voltron?"

"Of course I've heard of Voltron."

"Well, I'm one of the Paladins."

This made Zegdal and Matt raise their eyes as they spoke.

"For real? That pipsqueak?"

"No. No. Seriously? You're a Paladin of Voltron? That's so awesome!"

Then, Vezek spoke from far away, giving the atmosphere a chill.

"What a touching reunion. Sadly, it won't last."

"Who are you?"

Lapis knew all too well who he was.

"Vezek. He's the assassin we faced before we graduated."

Zegdal grew frustrated about his lack of knowledge.

"Does no one talk to me anymore?"

"If you remember, I'm still under contract to terminate you. And the same goes for anyone who interferes."

Then, Matt and Pidge spoke intermittently.

"Stand back, Matt."

"Stand back, Pidge."

This made the two of them smile before she spoke again.

"Let's show this guy what the Holts are made of."

Lapis didn't think it wise.

"I don't think that's the best plan. Vezek nearly killed us last time. Do you really think you have a chance?"

"We don't know. And we don't care."

Vezek only spoke as he drew his fist back.

"Then you've come here to be killed."

Suddenly, he thrusted his fist forward, doing a sort of shockwave from his fist before Lapis got in the way and blocked it with her sword before she moved in toward him. As she tried to attack him, her sword only went through him like a hologram before he struck Pidge in the back with his fist and got Matt's notice as he swung his staff at him before he caught it.

"Stay away from my sister!"

"Your sister? Come to think of it, I do see the resemblance."

Then, he glared his red eyes at Matt, knocking him to the floor before he gripped him with his hands nearly together while Matt was gripped by an invisible force as he screamed. Then, Luzria shouted at Vezek as she got her luxite rapier ready.

"Vezek!"

Then, she stabbed her rapier in his side, forcing him to let go of Matt before Pidge fired her bayard at him, only to miss before he backed away as she went up on the pipes. Vezek looked up to her as he spoke.

"Your tactics won't work on me, Paladin."

Then, his red eyes flared before he appeared in front of Pidge, urging her to move higher quickly as he reappeared wherever she went before he punched her in the gut and knocked her to the floor before he reappeared back on the ground. Then, Zegdal moved in with his dagger before he was stopped as Vezek knocked the dagger out of his hand and snapped his wrist bones in the process. As this happened, Matt turned to Pidge as he spoke.

"Pidge, the panel!"

With that, Pidge got to the panel and opened it before Zegdal noticed and ran towards it as Vezek gave pursuit. Zegdal was only able to place his hand on the exposed panel before Vezek pinned him as he spoke.

"Any words to put on your epitaph?"

"How about this: this one's a shocker."

With that, Zegdal fired purple lightning at Vezek, causing him to be grunt as he was forced to phase, dropping him in the process before he reappeared behind Luzria, much to Adea's horror as she shouted.

"Behind you!"

Fortunately, she expected that as she turned around and impaled him with her rapier, earning his shocked look as he groaned in pain before he fell to the floor as Vezek looked up at Luzria.

"So... this is all I've got."

Then, he fell unconscious as Luzria took a deep breath before turning to Adea and smiling at her as Pidge spoke.

"Good thinking. But what exactly just happened?"

"Zegdal can manipulate the lightning from any magnetic field and use that to distort the magnetic alignment of anything else he makes contact with."

This made Adea raise an eyebrow before he spoke.

"Basically, I can do anything with electricity."

"Oh."

Then, Pidge removed her helmet as Matt spoke.

"Now, all we have to do is find Dad."

Then, he saw her put the glasses on before he spoke.

"You kept the glasses?"

"Of course I did."

Then, Adea spoke up.

"Hey, guys? Vezek's gone."

To prove this, Vezek wasn't where he was before as Lapis spoke.

"Let him go. After what we've done to him, he'll come after us another day, just like last time. But next time... we'll be ready."

* * *

At Planet X, Iyera was confused about the solution.

"But... how am I supposed to just give my memory of that vision to Planet X?"

"The Shimmer in this place can attend to many duties, including providing you with a way home, but it needs to know who's requesting it if a new memory is missing from one of the strangled fruits in this chamber."

"Strangled fruits? Are you talking about the people in here?"

"Yes. They're called this because in any reality, there's always a seed that blossoms into a new generation that will create fruits, like a tree. But if they're cut short by tragedy, like with Kumiko, those fruits' existence end up being threatened in one reality or another."

Jenny looked at it as a sort of assembly line as she spoke.

"Huh. I guess it's a necessary trade venture."

Then, a bright light came from the room before the Shimmer walked over to Iyera as she grew amazed.

"W-What's..."

"You don't have to worry, Iyera. It'll just take that memory of the vision. Nothing more, nothing less."

Then, Iyera looked back to it as the Shimmer touched her forehead, causing a bright light to leak out of her head as took a scene of Kumiko talking with Jenny out of her head before it removed its finger from her. With that, as Iyera took her breaths, the Shimmer went to the main hall of the room before it opened a blue portal with its hands as Iyera and the others looked on in wonder.

"What's going on?"

"The Shimmer has the memory now. Which means you're able to go back home, to your reality."

Iyera grew fond of that before Ayame spoke to her.

"Wait."

"Huh?"

"The Xaira in your reality... what's her goal?"

"She fought against my people's empire and Hira with the Galra. They desired peace, too, but through freedom."

This made Ayame smile before she made a request.

"If you see her, can you tell Xaira that I hope she wins?"

"I will. I promise."

Then, Iyera looked over to Jenny who showed a look of sadness before she spoke in a "Jenny" kind of way.

"Come on, Jenny. Chin up."

This made Jenny gasp before she smiled.

"Okay. It's really hard to ignore _that_ voice."

Iyera giggled at this before she waved goodbye to her friends and went in the portal before it went away. When it was done, Jenny looked to see Ayame go over to Kumiko before asking Alphus.

"Hey, Alphus... what exactly happens to the strangled fruits here?"

"They just remain here, in a sort of hypersleep, until someone makes contact with it."

"Really? It's that easy?"

"Yes. That's one of the ways this planet works."

As Ayame took a closer look at her, she took notice of her peaceful face and her content smile as she stopped herself from thinking of breaking her out of her own peace.

"I can't. Not yet."

This made Jenny confused as she spoke.

"What? Why not? Don't you want her back?"

"Look how peaceful she is. I haven't seen that from her in a long time. Even at the Garrison. Besides, Kumiko didn't ask for this war. None of us have. I can't bring her into this. It's just not right."

Taking those words in account, Jenny nodded in understanding before Alphus spoke.

"A wise answer, Ayame."

Then, Alphus handed the fruit of Adea's parents to the Shimmer as Jenny spoke.

"What's the Shimmer doing now?"

"Because the black water's dried up, it's manually recreating the bodies with memories from the beginning of their lives until the end."

As the Shimmer held the fruit to the ceiling, a white light connected itself to the fruit before the light spread itself to two vacant pods before two Galra mates filled the void as Jenny, Honerva, and Ayame looked on in surprise before the young Altean spoke.

"Whoa... that's incredible."

"Yes. It is."

* * *

Later, Alphus, Honerva, Jenny, and Ayame were headed back to the Castle as they went to the comms system to see Lapis, Adea, Atchiam, Luzria, Zegdal, Pidge, and Matt as Pidge spoke to the team.

"Hey, guys. How'd your drop off go?"

"Better than expected. We also got a special surprise along the way."

With that, Jenny moved out of the way to reveal a Galra with long raven hair and purple irises and another with silver irises and purple-red tinted hair as Adea widened her eyes from seeing them.

"Mom? Dad?"


	37. Black Site

**A/N: Hello. Just letting you know that the names of Adea's parents are Gen for the mother and Ral for the father. They'll be similar to Bardock and Gine in Dragon Ball Minus and will be voiced by Jad Saxton and Sonny Strait. Other than that, enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 36:** Black Site

At Olkarion, Jenny, Ayame, Alphus, Honerva, and the two Galra were with the Paladins as they waited for Pidge and her group to arrive as the first of the group turned to Adea's parents and motioned them to its members.

"Guys, I want you to meet the Paladins of Voltron. This is Allura, Ayame, Lance, Hunk, Coran, Belle, my sis, and Shiro. Of course, Pidge and Lapis will be here in a few ticks."

The father spoke to them as he smiled.

"It's good to meet you, Allura. I am Ral. And this is my wife, Gen."

As Gen smiled, Allura spoke next.

"It's great to meet you two, as well. I heard about what happened to your home. I'm sorry you had to lose it."

Gen put her discontent at ease as she stepped up to her.

"While we appreciate your words, Princess, we were just concerned with our daughter, Adea. How has she been doing since we've... parted?"

Suddenly, the Green Lion entered orbit as it roared before Allura gave her a question for an answer.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

As it landed, the Paladins went toward it in excitement as did the mice before it opened its jaw and allowed Pidge and Rogue Thrust to exit the lion before she picked up one of the mice as she spoke.

"Hey, everybody."

Then, Adea ran out the door towards her parents as she shouted.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

As Adea hugged them she weeped with joy as she grew excited.

"I missed you both so much! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

Gen then rubbed her head with her hand as she spoke.

"Of course we did. So much."

Then, Ral took a look at how Adea looks now and spoke.

"You've certainly grown a bit since we've been gone, haven't you?"

As Adea enjoyed the return of her parents, Pidge spoke onwards.

"This is my brother, Matt."

"Hey, everybody."

"Matt, this is Hunk, Lance, Ayame, Jenny, and Coran."

"Hey."

"Nice to meet you."

"How you doin'?"

"Charmed, I'm sure."

"Pleasure."

"And this is Princess Allura of Altea and Alphus."

Upon seeing them, Matt grew surprised as he exclaimed.

"Whoa!"

"It is so wonderful to finally meet you, Matt."

"I've heard about what you've done for your sister. And I have to say I'm proud of you for helping her."

Matt's heart began beating as he gasped before running toward them.

"Whoa! Oh, my goodness! You are so beautiful! It is my honor to meet you both."

Upon seeing this, Lance would've been jealous if he didn't have Jenny, but he still felt just as embarrassed as her and Ayame.

"Really?"

"Is he trying to be macho, or is that him being himself? 'Cause honestly, I don't know which is worse."

"Yeah. Me neither."

This made Matt fall to the ground in defeat as he groaned before he noticed someone who saved him at the gladiator ring as well as a friend of theirs who was also captured.

"Shiro? Belle? It's so good to see you, um, sir."

Then, Shiro and Belle pulled him in for a hug, surprising him before returning he favor as Shiro spoke up to Matt before Belle.

"Pidge never gave up on finding you."

"Yeah, she can be pretty stubborn at times."

"And I want you to know that all of us will help you find your father."

"Thanks, Belle."

Next, Zegdal spoke as he went down with Luzria, Lapis, and Atchiam.

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver or something?"

Pidge noticed him and felt embarrassed.

"Sorry. Everyone, this is Zegdal. He was with Matt when we found him."

"Actually, you might even say I'm the kid's mentor."

Then, Pidge spoke to her brother as she showed the Castle to him.

"Matt, this is the Castle of Lions."

"Whoa. Nice ship."

"Let me take you on a tour."

She then dragged Matt in the Castle as Jenny giggled at this before noticing a sad look on Ayame's face before she spoke.

"Hey, are you doing okay?"

She only responded in a monotone voice to her question.

"Yeah. Great. Why wouldn't I be?"

As Ayame went in, Jenny sighed trying to figure out what made Ayame so upset.

* * *

At the command center, Zarkon sat in his throne, thinking back on how easily Omegus corrupted him, as well as how easily he corrupted the Galra Empire himself as Zygmar spoke to him.

"I am pleased to see you back on your throne again, sire. But, if I may ask... why are you siding with Voltron? I know desperate times call for desperate measures but vast stretches of territory have fallen to him, Kaecilius, and a growing group of insurgents."

"I assure you, Zygmar, that my defeat at the hands of Voltron was also my gain. For 10,000 years, I was plagued by a dark being known as Omegus, and he used me, used the Galra Empire, for his own ends. The fact that you still wish to continue his regime is ill-advised."

This caught Zygmar unawares before he spoke on.

"But no matter. I have returned, in more ways than you can imagine."

"And what about Prince Lotor?"

"It is time to relieve him of his duties and stop him from going down the same path I took before it's too late."

* * *

In the Castle, Pidge gave Matt a tour of the Castle bridge.

"This is where all the magic happens."

"Whoa!"

"Impressive!"

Then she showed her brother a chair with Green lights near the bottom of it.

"This is where I sit."

"Awesome!"

"And this opens up, and there's a zip line that takes me to a speeder, and that loads into my lion. And this is where Allura, Alphus, and Jenny stand. Not at the same time, mind you. And these little, glowy pillars rise up, and then they use Altean magic that links them to that crystal, and the crystal powers the ship, and then they use this thing called a teludav to create wormholes!"

Then she dragged Matt to the training arena with Lapis and Ayame present.

"This is our training room. It has invisible walls, and you can fight robots!"

Then, the Galran Paladin spoke up to him as she waved.

"Hello, Matt."

Then, Pidge showed Matt Kaltenecker eating grass.

"This is our cow."

"How did you get—? Whoa!"

Then, Pidge introduced him to the kitchen very quickly.

"This is our kitchen. Here's where the food goo comes out."

Then, she shot a round of green goo at Matt before he ended up eating it before he spoke.

"Hey, this is pretty goo...d. Mmm!"

* * *

While Pidge continued to show Matt around the Castle, Lapis and Ayame trained each other as the latter swung at her with her dual naginata while Lapis countered it with her two daggers before pushing her away. Frustrated, Ayame charged back at her before she aimed to stab her, only for Lapis to dodge the weapon and catch the naginata with her daggers before pulling them out of her arms and holding them to her. Ayame then did a backflip kick to knock them out of her hands before running at her to punch her. However, Lapis got her arms out and blocked them wherever Ayame tried to attack before tripping her and pulling her arm up, forcing Ayame to use her other arm to punch her, only for Lapis to catch it, surprising her before she tossed Ayame farther to the floor as she hit it with a thud before the defeated spoke.

"Whew! I think that's enough for now."

As the two went back in, they took their breath as Lapis spoke to her.

"You're getting better, Ayame. You really had me there. Really."

"Well, so far, better isn't good enough in terms of fighting. But... it did help me feel a little better."

"As opposed to what?"

"Well, it's just that lately, I've been... I'm wondering about how Keith's doing."

"Oh. So you're trying to forget about him."

"What? No! Not like that! But... yeah."

"I know it hurts now, Ayame, but Keith really does care about you."

"Then why would he leave?"

"Ayame, he left _because_ he cares about you."

"Really? How do you know that?"

Just as Lapis was about to answer, Jenny stepped in.

"Hey, guys, here's some water."

"Oh, thanks."

As the girls took their drinks, Jenny noticed Ayame's face as she smiled before she spoke with a smirk.

"Oh, I see... you miss Keith, don't you?"

This made Ayame go in denial as she reacted defensively.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Lapis can tell this wasn't going to end well and tried to stop Jenny from making it worse.

"Uh, Jenny, now isn't the best..."

"C'mon. You know you love him. I can see it in your face."

This was the last straw for Ayame as she smashed her fist against the wall, jolting Jenny before she reiterated.

"No, I don't. Now if you excuse me, I've got some training to do."

With that, Ayame walked out of the door before Lapis turned to Jenny with an annoyed look.

"Really?"

"What? Was it something I said?"

"Never mind. Clearly, you're too much like Lance to understand what's even going on."

As Lapis began to walk out the door, Jenny spoke up.

"Wait! I'm sorry, Lapis. You're right. I'm trying to understand what's going on, but I... I just don't know how to reach out to people the way Ayame does. I really want her to be happy. I don't want Keith's leaving the team to break her down like Kumiko's death did."

Lapis then sighed before she spoke.

"It's okay. I know you're trying. But... why don't you leave that to me for now?"

This made Jenny sigh before she spoke.

"You sure you can help?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

* * *

Then, Pidge showed Matt to the hangout.

"And this is the lounge. You know, where we just hang. Just Voltron Paladins hanging out."

Then, Adea walked in with Gen and Ral as she spoke.

"And right here is the lounge where the Paladins take a break when they're tired from missions. Oh! Hi, Pidge!"

Just then, Hunk arrived with five milkshakes as he spoke.

"Hey, hey! I made celebratory milkshakes for you guys!"

This confused Adea as she raised an eyebrow.

"Milk...shake?"

"Just a little welcome gift to Matt, Gen, and Ral from me and Kaltenecker. No big deal. Fun fact about Alteans, they don't get brain freeze. Coran, Alphus, Babak, and Allura just totally hovered up their shakes in one slurp. Uh... I've never seen anything like it before."

As Adea and Gen tasted it and slurped it up really fast, she and her mother ended up feeling a headache and groaned as they spoke.

"It... burns!"

"Is that what brain freeze feels like?"

Then, Hunk spoke to her.

"Yes, but don't worry. Just ride it out. It'll pass."

Then, the headache went away before Adea spoke.

"Not bad. I like it. Thanks, Hunk."

"You're welcome. Oh, and don't drink too fast it it'll happen again."

"Oh. Okay."

As Adea and Gen enjoyed their milkshake, Ral spoke to Matt.

"So, what have you and Zegdal been doing since you've escaped Beta Traz?"

"We've been stationed at a listening outpost, monitoring Galra radio chatter."

"And you're serious?"

Then, Hunk spoke about Pidge's upgrades.

"Then you should totally check out the Galra finder Pidge built. We used it to track down a Galra fleet and save a planet."

"Hunk made the locator that led us to the first Voltron Lion, and we just built an upgraded version of it to track Lotor."

"Wow, Pudge. Dad would be so proud if he could see what you've done here."

This made Pidge smile as Adea spoke to Hunk.

"Hey, can I get three more milkshakes? I really want Lapis, Atchiam, and Luzria to try them. Better yet, can you teach me?"

"Sorry, Adea. That's a trade secret."

Then, Adea grabbed Hunk and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"TEACH ME!"

As her words echoed, Hunk spoke.

"Yeah, just go talk to Lance about that. I am out. Peace."

As Hunk walked out, Pidge looked at Adea before she blinked her eyes.

"What?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Lotor headed towards a new base where countless Galra drones were assembling two more ships from the same material that the first was made from as Syn spoke to him.

"Lotor. We received word from central command. Emperor Zarkon requires your presence immediately."

"Very well. Prepare a ship."

Ezor grew concerned about what it could mean.

"Do you think he's onto us?"

"No, my father is simply ready to return to the throne. He can have it. Our plans have not changed. Narti, come with me. The rest of you, continue to oversee construction. I will return shortly."

* * *

At the Castle, Allura, Babak, Coran, Alphus, Adea, Ral, and Gen were gathered around Kaltenecker as the Alteans spoke first.

"Hello."

"How have you been, my good man?"

"Hope we're not interrupting."

"There was just something that we needed to ask you. But first, we need to introduce ourselves. I'm Alphus, this is Allura, Babak, Coran..."

"Pleasure."

"Adea..."

"Hi."

"Gen and Ral."

"Hello."

"How are you doing? It's kinda peaceful here, actually."

"Yep."

Then, Coran spoke to Kaltenecker next.

"Well, how do you like living in the Castle with us? Pleasant, I hope."

Kaltenecker only mooed before Adea spoke.

"Uh, what? I didn't hear what you said."

"If there's anything we can do to make your stay here more to your liking, please do not hesitate to ask."

"It's her ship, so... uh, we were actually just enjoying these milkshakes that you made for us."

"Positively divine, really."

Then, Alphus spoke up after the princess.

"Which is why we're wondering if... well, you still have your say in this, but if it's possible..."

Then, they got their cups out as Allura spoke.

"Could we have some more, please?"

As an answer, Kaltenecker only stood still, just eating the grass as Allura whispered to Coran.

"Can he understand us?"

"I think he's been insulted."

Then, Kaltenecker mooed loudly before the cow turned its back on them, forcing them to step back.

"Just step away..."

Adea still felt as though she was robbed.

"But I still didn't get my..."

Then, Gen covered her mouth before Coran spoke.

"Well, we'll be off now! Enjoy your, uh... area!"

With that, they took off from the room before Alfor appeared and sat beside Kaltenecker.

"I don't think they'd want to know your secret. I didn't."

Kaltenecker just mooed at Alfor's hologram as it sat down.

* * *

At central command, Lotor and Narti stepped forward to see Haggar as she spoke.

"Please, follow me."

As Haggar walked, Lotor eyed her suspiciously before they found themselves at Zarkon's feet.

"Father, it gives me such pleasure that you've made a full recovery. You look stronger than I've ever—"

"Stop, Lotor. I did not bring you here to hear any flattery. Lately, I've heard that you've been taking... missteps in your role of Emperor. Clearly, this is a role you're simply just not ready for. Which is why you are relieved of your position, effective immediately."

Then, Lotor feigned surprise as he spoke.

"Lord, I beg you, do not discard me. Let me stay by your side."

"I wasn't discarding you, my son. I'm merely placing you out of charge. And you don't have to worry about anyone leaving your side. I am also assigning a Galra to keep an eye on you at this very moment. You will be notified as to whom at your earliest convenience."

"Of course, my efforts at ruling the universe seem feeble beside your inestimable accomplishments. But, perhaps, if you were to train me, I could learn."

"This isn't about ruling the universe anymore. That was _Omegus's_ regime. From now on, we are _protecting_ this universe from any who would harm it, Lotor. Starting with Kaecilius. That is final."

"As you wish."

As Lotor walked away, Zarkon spoke again.

"And Lotor? About your training... you will begin once your assigned guard has been chosen. You are dismissed."

Lotor bore a surprised look before he spoke.

"Thank you, my lord."

"Please, Lotor. Call me Father."

Lotor only turned away and walked out with a smile before Haggar spoke to Zarkon.

"Something is amiss with Lotor. I sensed a powerful energy on him when he entered, something ancient."

"Find out what you can, and do it discreetly. We need to know what he's planning."

* * *

As Lotor and Narti prepared to take off, the latter looked up to see Haggar before she heard Narti's voice.

" _Is something wrong?"_

" _You must understand the truth."_

With that, Haggar's eyes glowed yellow as she looked at Narti.

* * *

In the ship, Lotor spoke to Narti.

"Run the protocol to search for trackers."

As she did this, nothing seemed to have appeared before Lotor spoke again.

"Transpose the dynamics and run that protocol again."

This time, Narti found a tracker on the bottom of the ship as Lotor spoke.

"You think you can fool me, witch? Destroy the bug."

With that, the ship activated an electric field before the tracker blew up in the process with minimal damage.

* * *

At the Castle, Matt looked at the maps with Pidge.

"This is a pretty sweet algorithm for locating Galra targets within a statistically acceptable margin of error. And I love that you color-coded it, because what are we, animals?"

This made the two laugh before Hunk spoke.

"Ugh, you two are definitely related."

"Hunk, using the Fraunhofer lines to track Voltron, and then the comet... I mean, that's genius."

"Oh, well, yeah, I try."

"They say Fraunhofer was the greatest glassmaker in Europe and that when he died, he took all his greatest recipes to the grave with him."

"I want a Fraunhofer glass."

"So, check this out."

With that, Matt got out his transponder, surprising Hunk and Pidge as Matt spoke.

"This has all the relevant data from my time with Zegdal and the rebels. I think of we plug this info into the setup you guys have here, it might fill in the gaps. Then, we just might have the best anti-Drule intelligence mining operation in this or any other reality."

Hunk then spoke about his experience there.

"This one time, we went to another reality. It was pretty lame. Except for Iyera, I guess. She looked so much like Kumiko in our reality, but as an Altean."

This caught Matt unawares as he spoke.

"Wait, you what? _You_ were in a different reality?"

"No big deal."

As Pidge took his transponder and scooted to the main computer, Matt smiled.

"My little sister."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hall near Belle's room, Jenny knocked at the door as her sister spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, sis? It's Jenny. There's, uh, something I gotta ask you."

With that, Belle opened the door and was revealed to be in Shiro's old clothes from before he put on his Paladin suit before Jenny noticed and got confused.

"Why are you wearing Shiro's clothes?"

"He lent them to me when I was rescued. Just didn't try them until now, done I've ran out of good clean clothes. Anyway, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. It's about Ayame. Ever since Keith left, Ayame's been cold and distant all over again. I was trying to find out how she's doing and what's wrong, but... she's just pushing me away. Do you know what I should do with that?"

"Well, if you were trying to be funny about it, I'd leave the talking to someone else."

"I already did. Lapis said she'd do it. But I'm talking about for future reference. I really don't know how to talk to people the way Ayame did. When she talks to you, it really feels like she cares about you and what you're going through. But when I do it, apparently, I come off as a Lance. No offense to him. Anyway, I'm stinking at this so far. What should I do?"

Belle smiled as she spoke.

"I think you just found the answer to your own problem."

"Huh?"

"Look at the difference between how you come off around people as opposed to Ayame. You said it yourself. When she talks, it feels like she really cares about other people and what they went through because she actually does. The way you came off was the opposite."

"Oh. So... what you're saying is... I should be more like Ayame?"

"Bingo."

"But... I thought it's okay to just be me."

"It is. There's nothing wrong with you, and you know that. But there's gonna be a time when you have to start acting your age. I'm not asking you to give up your cheerfulness in the process, but the sooner you grow up, the better off things will be. You understand?"

Jenny then smiled at her big sister before she spoke.

"Yeah. Thanks, sis."

"Anytime, Jenny."

Then, Jenny noticed the group that went to Kaltenecker walking in the hall as Jenny grew confused.

"Uh, what are they doing?"

* * *

As Jenny followed, she found them near the open door where Lance was playing the video game he bought from the Space Mall as Coran spoke.

"Lance, could you assist us for a moment?"

"Not now!"

"Okay."

Suddenly, the dragon began to breathe the Final Inferno attack on his party members before they turned to tombstones as Lance whimpered before groaning as Allura spoke.

"We were wondering if you could possibly assist us in getting a milkshake."

"We tried to negotiate some on our own, but we've run into a bit of difficulty with Kaltenecker."

Adea then spoke next in a sort of Gollum-like voice, scaring Jenny a bit.

"Must have... the precious milkshake..."

Seeing her like that made Lance widen his eyes before he sighed and got up.

"All right. Let's go."

This made Adea happy as she spoke.

"Yay!"

* * *

At the room where Kaltenecker spends its day, it stood as Lance spoke to the group and Jenny.

"Well, first off, Kaltenecker is a girl."

"Oh! I see."

"Apologies, madam."

"Right. And she's a cow, so she can't understand you."

Adea then realized the next part of the problem as she grew angry.

"You mean I've been wasting my breath on someone who can't even hear what I'm saying?!"

As Adea fell to the ground, Ral smiled.

"Yep. That's my daughter, alright."

As Gen glared at him, Ral grew confused.

"What?"

"Also, she doesn't make milkshakes. She has to be milked. Let me show you."

With that, Lance got the bucket and put it underneath Kaltenecker before he got his hands ready.

"Watch and learn."

He then grunted as he got near the udders. As he did, the group (save for Jenny and Ral, who just widened his eyes) grew shocked at the actions he took as Gen covered Adea's eyes.

"Don't look, Adea! You're too young!"

"Mom! I'm 17 decaphoebes old!"

As Adea managed to get a peek, she began to regret it.

"Eek! Gross!"

Then, Kaltenecker mooed as the milk was in the bucket before he got out several glasses and poured them in.

"It's so thick. It's almost like a milkshake right now!"

This made the Alteans whimper before they slid back and around to the exit as the Galra that stayed were frozen stiff before Gen dragged the traumatized Adea outside while she held her cup as Ral just stood where he was and looked to Lance before he and Jenny spoke.

"Well, where's my milkshake?"

"Can I take one for the road, too? I need to talk to someone."

* * *

At her room, Ayame was alone before she heard the door open.

"Look, Jenny, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just leave me alone?"

When she looked up, she noticed Lapis by herself before they came in and sat down as she spoke.

"Oh. Sorry."

Then, Ayame sighed before speaking again, knowing she had every intention to finish her conversation.

"I know Keith's doing this for us. But I'm not just going to get over it. I'm sorry. I just... I don't think you know what it's like to be left, Lapis. You have a legendary father. People wanting to be with you, willing to stay with you...! I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. My dad left too. Shiro was always busy with the Garrison and Kumiko and her family couldn't take care of themselves. I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone."

There was nothing but silence between the two before Ayame spoke.

"Lapis. If you have something to say, say it."

Lapis sighed at her before she spoke.

"Contrary to what you believe, Ayame, I do know. More than you think. When I was just an infant, my father and my mother were killed by Sendak. It was actually on my birthday. After killing my family, Sendak took me in just to take responsibility for what he did. He didn't even care about me. When I was old enough to take it, he beat me every single quintant. When I least expected it. I was... sad. Suicidal, even. Even worse, he told me the truth right to my face, and he didn't even care that it would hurt me. Maybe... maybe that's what he had in mind. Whatever it was between me and him back then, it was his deranged act of tough love. Since then, I had to grow up pretty quickly. I couldn't take any more if it. When I was 10 decaphoebes old... I learned. I learned where Sendak would strike me next and wherever he would attack, I would counter that and beat him down whenever I could. While I did that, he smiled. I guess, in a way, he was training me. So, in spite of what he did to me, I couldn't leave. I had no way to do that. So for 10 more decaphoebes I kept repeating the same pattern over and over, and well, you get the idea. That is, until Shiro helped me escape. As you can imagine, that made him... really angry. Then, one thing led to another, and here I am."

That made Ayame feel bad about what she said to her.

"I'm really sorry. I... shouldn't have assumed."

"You're right, though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And... I'll bet Keith has his own version too."

"And how do you know that?"

"The whole time he was with us, he was afraid to open up to people and was trying to keep others out of the way just so he could keep them safe. He told me that when we first met. We understood each other. But, when we got captured, and the ship blew up, the one thing Keith was afraid of actually happened. The universe proved him right. He may have told you the truth, but not all of it. He's also pulling away from you because he felt it's best that others don't suffer for his actions. He didn't want to take any chance of that happening to you."

Ayame didn't consider that an acceptable excuse.

"No one blamed him for anything. If he had just talked to us, he would have known that! How could I be there for him if he can't let me? What if I needed him here for me?"

With that, Ayame broke down in tears as Lapis hugged her.

"I know it's not easy. I wish he hadn't left, too. The only thing we can do is be here for him when he's ready. When he comes back."

" _If_ he comes back."

"He will. Ayame. You, Jenny, Shiro, and even Keith are more family to me than Sendak or even my father, and he cares about me more than anyone. I would do anything for you, and I'm willing to bet Keith feels the same way. So, when he's ready, I'll be there for him. And, I know we're not as close, but... I'm here for you too."

This comforted Ayame as she wiped her tears away and spoke.

"Thank you, Lapis."

Then, Jenny knocked on the door before Ayame spoke.

"Come in."

As Jenny stepped in, she held a milkshake and sat down by Ayame.

"Hey. Listen. I'm sorry for how I acted back then. I wasn't trying to agitate you. I just... I only wanted to see you smile again. Clearly, I pulled a Lance on that, no offense to him. Truth is, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to being serious. But, my sis told me I should start acting my age. Told me it's the way to go. So, you can know that I mean it when I say... 'I'm sorry.' It's just so new to me, talking to people like this when I'm not mopey, and I really don't want to be. But, I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, you can count on me, just like you can count on Lapis. That's how we've managed to recover when you went away. It made us remember who we're fighting for. I'm hoping it'll do the same for you, too. Okay?"

Then, Ayame hugged Jenny in surprise before she spoke.

"Thank you so much."

Jenny then hugged her back as she spoke.

"You're welcome."

Suddenly, they heard Adea's monotone moaning that sounded like a ghost as Lapis spoke.

"What was that about?"

Jenny, having seen the reactions herself, felt it best for Lapis to avoid that knowledge.

"Trust her on this: you do not want to know."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lotor and Narti returned to the base as Syn spoke.

"Let me guess: you got fired?"

"I'm afraid I was relieved of my command, yes."

Acxa then spoke next on the matter at hand.

"The second ship is finally complete and ready for testing. The sentries are just making some final adjustments."

Ezor then sighed before she spoke.

"And it's about time, too. That Jenny really made a dent in our plans by stealing half of that comet."

"Excellent."

Then, unbeknownst to the group, Narti was speaking to Honerva telepathically.

" _Can you see it?"_

" _Yes."_

* * *

At the command center, Honerva was using the same trick Kaecilius is using with Voltron as she witnessed Lotor and his generals near the ships.

"60% of the comet's material has been used in the production the first two ships, My Lord. We have more than enough for the creation of the third."

"Well done, Acxa."

Then, Syn spoke again.

"The sooner we get those ships ready to destroy Kaecilius and those holier-than-thou Galra traitors, the better."

This unnerved Haggar as she gasped.

"No."

Then, Haggar spoke to Zarkon up front.

"Zarkon, our son Lotor has created a second ship from that comet."

"What?"

"And worse, he's planning to take out Kaecilius _and_ us."

"The only reason to keep them secret is for the element of surprise. Not only that. It seems he has every intention to abrupt the peace we mean to create. But we won't let it happen. Mobilize the fleet! Hunt down Prince Lotor."

* * *

At the Castle, Pidge, Hunk, and Matt were at work with the Galra finder as the last of the three spoke.

"I think we've just about got it."

To prove this, countless Galra symbols appeared as the three grew celebratory.

"Alright!"

"Yes!"

"Wow!"

"This is unbelievable. We're tracking Galra movements almost live."

"I think I know a few tweaks we can make to extend our range."

Then, Matt had other plans as he noticed a new message that is encrypted.

"Hold on, Pidge."

"What's up?"

"It's a scrambled message. I've collected hundreds of 'em. I never crack 'em."

Fortunately, that wasn't a problem for Pidge.

"Let me see."

As Matt handed it to Pidge, she felt a challenge coming on.

"I'm guessing this isn't just a simple number-for-letter swap."

"I've run these through every kind of decryption technology I can think of, and I've spent days with just the numbers and a Galta language log. Nothing."

Hunk had an idea about what it was.

"Maybe they're not words. Maybe they're just numbers."

This made Pidge think of something else they frequently use.

"Maybe they're a frequency."

"A quantum signal that broadcasts other frequencies to go to? It's too high. These are more than 3,000 gigahertz."

"Invert it."

"What?"

Then, Pidge flipped the screen sideways as she spoke.

"For every wave we receive, there's only partial transmittance, right?"

Hunk and Matt then understood what she was talking about.

"Oh, right, yeah. So, we figure the transmission coefficient..."

"And tune for the frequency of the reflected waves."

As they frequencies came together, they finally managed to get the transmission.

"Members of the Seventh..."

They began to cheer for their success, but it was too early to celebrate as the message extended to troubling news.

"...11th, 12th, and 14th Fleet, assemble to rally point trox-lyte immediately. Engage targets at coordinates in next transmission by order of Emperor Zarkon."

This made Hunk grow surprised.

"Zarkon's actually found Lotor?"

Then, Pidge looked up and saw a large concentration of Galra headed there as she and Matt spoke.

"Guys, look at this."

"I've never seen troop mobilization on this level before."

Hunk grew concerned about what they're after.

"What are they attacking?"

"That's just it. As far as I can tell, nothing. There are no planets, no rebel ships, no Blade of Marmora bases, nothing."

Then, she came to the realization about what he intends to do now that he's found him.

"Unless... he's attacking Lotor."

* * *

At the bridge, Alphus felt there's more to it.

"If Lotor is found, then we have to intercept."

Shiro didn't seem to trust it would end well if they just charge in.

"I don't like it. We should be gathering intelligence, not diving into a fight without knowing why, especially now that we know Lotor is found."

Lapis could agree with him on that point.

"Right. With Lotor backed into a corner like that, who knows what he'll try."

Then, Pidge had an idea as she spoke.

"We could go check it out."

Lance felt it wouldn't be optimal.

"I think they'd probably notice us."

"Not if we're cloaked."

"You have cloaking? Who are you?"

Ayame felt concerned with that.

"I don't think the Green Lion by itself is safe this time, Pidge."

"I'm pretty sure I can upgrade Voltron with cloaking. We could all go."

Lance then nudged Pidge before he spoke.

"Were you waiting for your big brother to show up before you rolled that one out?"

"It's something I've been working on for a while, but I can't pilot the Green Lion and operate the cloaking at the same time. But if I had a co-pilot..."

Matt knew what she was going for and whole-heartedly agreed.

"Absolutely."

Shiro then spoke to his team.

"Let's get to the lions."

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, he sensed Voltron becoming active again as he spoke.

"Hmm. What daily activity requires my attention this time?"

With that, Vantiv and Varek walked in before he spoke with the latter answering first.

"Are the coordinates set, my companions?"

"Yes. Our base on Naxzela is fully operational."

"And now, all that's left is for Voltron to come to us."

"Perfect. But before we resort to any desperate tactics, we simply must oversee exactly whose aid Voltron is attending to. I have reason to believe it's of the... utmost importance."

* * *

At the secret base, it began to jolt as shots were fired from outside while the base blared an alarm as Lotor spoke to Zethrid, who was piloting the second ship.

"What's happening?"

"A Galra fleet is attacking us."

"Return fire!"

"Wait, there's another fleet. And another one. We can't hold them all off."

Lotor was left with no choice as he spoke.

"Prepare the Sincline ships to takeoff. Load the comet into mine. We're leaving."

* * *

Outside, Voltron came close to the field with Ayame in the Black Lion with Shiro, Matt in the Green Lion with Pidge, Jenny in the Red Lion with Lance, and Rogue Thrust in the Blue Lion with Allura at the same time Kaecilius activated the purple veil and he, Varek, and Vantiv looked through Shiro's eyes.

"We're getting close. Everyone, get ready."

Pidge then turned to Matt as she spoke.

"Go ahead. Run the cloaking subroutine."

"Got it. Initializing cloak. I'm not sure how long we can keep this up."

As Voltron turned invisible, Allura spoke.

"Alright, let's take a look at what the Galra are attacking."

Ayame then spoke to her as they saw the scene themselves.

"I think you know the answer, Allura. Those ships. I can tell they're made from Lotor's half of that comet."

This confused Lance as he spoke.

"What the cheese? It's Galra-on-Galra violence, again."

"Oh, these people just do not like each other."

Jenny then reminded everyone about what Alphus said.

"Maybe, but remember what Alphus said, guys. We have to intercept and capture Lotor."

* * *

In the base, Lotor spoke to his generals as they walked there.

"Divert all power to defenses. Hold the attack off until we're away. Then scuttle—"

Before he could finish, the base jolted as Acxa and Zethrid spoke.

"How did they find us?"

"We must have been tracked."

Then, Syn growled as he spoke.

"And I know how."

With that, Syn got out his luxite sword and made a dark aura slash with his blade, piercing the link, petrifying Haggar as the link came undone. All the while, Narti was now unconscious as Kova looked at him confusedly as Syn spoke.

"Don't fall for that witch's lies, or you'll suffer her fate. Let's move."

* * *

With that, Lotor and his generals took off via Sincline ships as Voltron took notice with Pidge speaking.

"Whose ships are those?"

Jenny can make a guess.

"Who do you think? They're Lotor's."

As Shiro spoke, Ayame replied her confusion.

"Lotor and Zarkon must be fighting for control of the Galra Empire."

"But why? I thought my father wanted peace."

Lapis then spoke to Ayam about the situation.

"So did Lotor. My guess is Zarkon's trying to bring him in and he's not in the mood for a time out."

Then, Hunk spoke up his worry as they came closer in view.

"Guys, those ships are getting awfully close."

Suddenly, they zipped past Voltron, deactivating the cloak as Matt spoke.

"Uh-oh. The trails from Lotor's ship drives messes with our cloaking spectrum."

"Can you find a work-around?"

"It's too late. Our cover's been blown. We may have to engage."

Then, Ayame remembered her status as she spoke.

"Wait a minute. Don't fire. Let me try something."

Then, Ayame spoke out to the Galra as she spoke from Voltron.

"Soldiers of the Galra Empire, hold your fire! This is Princess Xaira! I repeat, hold your fire!"

With that, Zygmar recognized her voice before he spoke to the fleets.

"Abort fire! Abort fire! Princess Xaira is in Voltron!"

With that, the fleet's weapon's powered down before she spoke further.

"Why are you attacking the base?"

Zygmar then spoke to her via transmission.

"We have orders from Emperor Zarkon to capture Lotor alive."

This confirmed that Zarkon brought the Galra in the loop about Lotor before she sighed.

"Understood. I'm sorry for causing you delays. Carry on with your mission."

With that, Ayame sat down as Shiro spoke.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just... surprised, I guess."

* * *

All the while, Lotor and his generals took off feeling disheartened by their situation as they heard a beeping from the transmission before Acxa spoke.

"Sir, we're picking up a transmission."

With that, Zarkon spoke to all able-bodied warriors of the Galra Empire, as well as Voltron and Kaecilius and his Drules.

"Attention, citizens of the Galra Empire. From this day forward, my son Lotor is to be regarded as a wanted vigilante of the empire. All citizens are authorized to use lethal and merciful force to stop him or any of his soldiers. I repeat, Prince Lotor is an outlaw of the state. Engage with extreme caution. Capture on sight."

With that, Kaecilius smirked as Vantiv smiled.

"So, what should we do about this development?"

Kaecilius smirked as he replied.

"Nothing. Zarkon is Lotor's son after all. Let him clean up his own mess. After all, it's one less threat to Voltron, and one less threat to us."


	38. The Voltron Show

**A/N: Hello. Just an update: Jenny will be facing the same trials Ayame went through to keep Kumiko and her family alive when she took them in before she and Kumiko went to the Garrison, whether Ayame likes it or not. The family of two, Cilia and Sapphire, will be voiced by Hynden Walch and Stephanie Sheh. Other than that, enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 37:** The Voltron Show

At Olkarion, Jenny sat in the training room with Honerva as her teacher spoke.

"Now, the key to a using proper Quintessential blasts is control. No doubt Allura tried to teach you this in the past, and yet you seemed to disregard it."

"Yeah, sorry. I usually respond better when I just go with the flow."

"That may have helped you previously, but it won't always be the case. There will always be situations where control has to be applied."

This made Jenny scratch her head before she spoke.

"Control?"

"Yes. How often have you actually used your powers?"

This gave Jenny an epiphany as she widened her eyes.

"Oh, right. I haven't used them in the last, uh... half a decaphoebe. I guess I didn't need to use them after the whole quantum abyss incident."

"Well, if you're going to stand any chance against Kaecilius or his Drules, you must learn to use them again. Case in point, this drone. Imagine if it were a Drule drone."

"Okay."

Then, Jenny stood up as she pointed her open hand at it.

"Like this, right?"

"Yes. Now, focus your thoughts into during a controlled blast."

As her student nodded, Honerva watched as Jenny took a deep breath and summoned a white light from her hand before it swiftly fired through the drone's center, piercing a hole through it before it fell backward. Once it was over, Jenny opened her eyes and saw the results herself.

"Whoa. It didn't catch on fire this time."

"Such is one of the many results of control."

"I guess you're right. There may be something to this whole control thing."

With that, Alphus' voice spoke out to the team within the Castle.

"Attention, everyone. Report to the bridge for briefing."

Jenny then turned to Honerva and smiled.

"Well, wish me luck."

With that, Jenny ran over to the bridge as Honerva smiled as if seeing herself at a young age taking off for her own assignment.

* * *

At the bridge, Shiro gave out the kind of news they'd been looking forward to hearing.

"Good news. There's been an upsurge in planets that have been liberated from Drule control by the Blade of Marmora and the rebel forces. Even the Galra Empire is helping out with that freedom. Convincing these planets to join our coalition is priority one."

Jenny had an idea what it meant.

"So, does that mean there's gonna be more Voltron events?"

"Yes."

This confused Belle considering how little fighting they actually do.

"And why are we doing them again?"

"Believe it or not, the Voltron show-of-arms goes a long way in inspiring others to join the fight."

With that, Shiro summoned a map with the red and purple clusters mixed in with three green ones as he spoke.

"The green clusters you see here, here, and here represent planets and, in some cases, entire star systems that have joined the coalition. Not coincidentally, those are also the areas we've personally visited."

Then, Adea raised her hand as she spoke.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Does that mean we can join in the razzle-dazzle Lance always keeps talking about? Uh, for the war effort, I mean."

"Nope. Not like the one Lance did."

This made Adea groan in disappointment.

"Why...?"

"Because we actually have something else in mind. Coran, can you set everything up?"

"I know just where to start."

* * *

Outside a distant planet, Voltron installed a column of energy in the last conduit of the hospital.

"Alright, the last column's in place. Now, this hospital can service the entire sector."

Then, Coran spoke up.

"But that's only the first step in helping these injured war veterans."

This gave Jenny cause for curiosity.

"And what's the next step, then?"

"Come on in. It's time."

Inside the hospital, Coran saw countless alien beings in hoverchairs as well as Zegdal and Matt before he spoke to the Paladins.

"Everyone check your wrist devices."

Jenny felt the need to correct him.

"I thought we agreed on 'gauntlets.'"

"I uploaded a script onto them."

As they looked at them, Hunk, Jenny, and Ayame grew confused.

"What is this?"

"Yeah. There's hardly anyone in the script."

"And I don't think it's even remotely connected to what's actually happened."

"I scaled down the show so we can do it indoors for the patients, you know, to lift their spirits."

Then, Pidge reiterated Ayame's previous statement.

"Ayame's right. This isn't even factually accurate. Wasn't Jenny the one that got captured?"

"Well, this is the _Legend_ of Voltron, not the documentary of Voltron. Speaking of which, Allura, you'll be playing Keith."

Upon hearing his name, Jenny grew surprised as Ayame widened her eyes in confusion while Allura groaned.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"The word of Keith leaving the team hasn't really spread yet, so I didn't want to confuse anyone. Besides, playing Keith is easy. Just act really moody."

Then, Allura glared at Coran with the similar look Keith always used to give before he replied with a smile.

"There! You've done it! Come on, everyone in positions. Just follow the script."

Then, Jenny spoke up about her experience at this.

"Well, it's a good thing I got an A+ on theater."

At the stage, a little girl with elf ears and purple markings under her eyes sneaked into the room in a small blue-green hospital gown before a light shone on Coran as he spoke out to the war veterans.

"Ladies and gentle-aliens, bear witness as the Paladins of Voltron attack Zarkon's base to save the helpless Princess Allura!"

Then, Coran handed the spotlight to Shiro, who was a bit blinded for a moment before the crowd mumbled while a small girl similar to an elf wiggled her ears in confusion as Coran spoke.

"Shiro, you're on!"

As Shiro got out his script, he spoke in a monotonous voice.

"Uh... 'I will save the princess, even if it means taking on the Galra Empire with my bare hand."

Then, Hunk and Pidge stepped up beside him just as monotonous.

"And you won't have to do it alone because you'll have me, Hunk."

"'And me, Pidge.'"

Then, Lance stepped up, eager to project his voice.

"'And me, Lance!'"

However, he took a look at the script again.

"'Holds bayard dashingly...' Oh."

Then, he did just that as Jenny spoke up projecting her voice and doing the necessary actions ahead of time.

"'And me, Jenny!'"

With that, she summoned her bayard and got it combat ready with her stance before Allura stepped up beside her.

"'And me... Keith.'"

Next, Ayame stepped up and got out her script before speaking monotonously.

"'And me, Ayame. I will help you, my brother Shiro, to defeat my father and rescue the princess."

"'Thank you, team, for always being by my side through thick or thin.'"

With that, Shiro went to the next page on the script before speaking.

"Now, come along. Together, we'll...'"

Then, everyone spoke up the next role while Lance and Jenny got in their poses.

"'Defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius!'"

With that, Coran arrived in a wig similar to Allura's long hairstyle, although granted it's a little roughed up.

"My heroes!"

Then, the lights came back on before the Paladins noticed that everyone left as Hunk and Lance complained.

"Well, that bombed."

"Yeah, speaking of bombs, we need to get back to doing air shows with explosions and lasers... and bombs!"

As the Paladins walked out, Jenny stayed behind to keep Coran company as she sat down by him.

"Hey. You doing okay?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to expand our horizons. But it didn't work out so well, now did it?"

Jenny then smiled as she put her arm around Coran.

"Well, I'm sure you can turn this around. I mean, not everything starts off great. There's gonna be a few bumps in the road and that's gonna happen a lot, but that shouldn't stop you from doing what you feel is right. Got that?"

This made Coran smile at her before he spoke.

"Got the message."

Just then, they heard a little girl who spoke to them as she clapped her hands.

"Yay! Go Voltron!"

Jenny then took a closer look at the girl and noticed her ears were similar to hers as well as violet markings under her eyes, catching her off guard before she nearly fell and stopped herself.

"Whoa! That was close."

When Zegdal looked at her, he grew curious.

"That's odd. I don't remember seeing you in the room before."

The girl giggled before she spoke.

"That's because I'm playing hide-and-seek."

This confused Matt as she picked her up.

"Wait a tick. Those ears and your markings... are you Altean?"

As the girl nodded, Jenny and Coran widened their eyes before the former walked up to her and held her up next.

"Well, do you know where your mom is?"

"Yeah. She's looking for me."

Just then, they see a blue-skinned alien with raven hair walk in before she spoke.

"Sapphire! Where are yo—?"

When the hospital lady saw Sapphire, she was in the arms of Jenny who blinked at her before the hospital lady smiled.

"Hello."

Then, Jenny spoke to her.

"Uh... Is she your kid?"

"Oh, yes. My name is Cilia."

Surprised as he was, Coran rubbed his eyes before he spoke.

"So, uh, what are you doing in here of all places?"

"You see, we grew up in this hospital ward for much of our lives."

"Your whole lives? That sounds... so sad."

"I guess. But as long as my Sapphire is safe, I am content with that."

Then, the hospital lady tickled Sapphire, earning her giggle before she walked out with the girl in her arms.

"Come on. Let's get back to our rooms."

"Aw, mom!"

As the lady looked back, she changed her skin to normal before it showed blue markings, catching her by surprise before changing the skin back to the blue-green color and walking out, leaving Jenny and Coran flabbergasted with the later speaking.

"Jenny, are we..."

"Not the last Alteans?"

As she answered, Jenny smiled.

"Yeah. I guess we're not."

As Jenny started to shed tears for the family, she wiped them away shortly before walking out.

"Come on. We gotta get back to the others."

As Jenny, Zegdal, and Matt walked out, Coran was about to leave before he heard a familiar voice speaking to him.

"Hey, there, friend. You look like you could use a little help."

With that, he noticed a familiar being whom he was about to get Scaultrite out of in a hoverchair.

"I know you. You ran the Unilu swap shop at the mall."

"I saw that space wreck of a show you put on."

"Hey! That little girl liked it!"

"But did everyone else?"

This made Coran rethink his decision as he spoke.

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

Then, the Unilu got out a side pocket of his hoverchair before showing him a small ball.

"Then stop thinking and be conscious-neezy! Conscious-neezy mind enhancers! Pop one of these babies under your pillow at night, and when you wake up in the morning, your brain will be filled with brilliant thoughts and ideas. They seep while you sleep!"

As Coran felt compelled to collect the ball, the Unilu made it a bit difficult for him.

"The price is 12,000 GAC."

"Would you take a used left shoe?"

"I'll accept the yellow Voltron bayard."

"How about 14 nose hairs?"

"I'll take your left arm, plated in luxite."

"A firm handshake and a pat on the back then?"

"I get to ride in your shoulders for one decaphoeb."

"Well, how about I give you 600 GAC and don't tell the staff you're running an unlicensed swap shop in an intergalactic hospital?"

"Deal!"

With that, the trade was done before Pidge walked in.

"Coran, you comin'? Apparently, Jenny found a couple of Alteans in this hospital."

Coran moaned in a high voice as he walked toward her.

* * *

At the lobby, Jenny sat with the lady and Sapphire as Zegdal spoke with Matt, unaware of Ayame overhearing their conversation.

"You gotta admire her ambition. One look at those folks, and she immediately wants to take them in. Sound like anyone in particular?"

"Well, yeah, actually. I heard that Ayame saw Kumiko and her family in trouble when she was young. So, she decided to help them out. But, then, something really bad happened to her. Kumiko, I mean. Her mother blamed her ever since. She still does, no matter how much therapy she went through with Mr. Smythe. But... I honestly believe she's trying to forgive her. I think she just needs someone to remind her of that."

"You kidding? If anyone like that ever dissed _my_ kids, I'd drop her off a building in no time flat."

"That sounds a bit extreme, doesn't it?"

"Well, excuse me for not having the ability to put up with unforgiving jerks."

As they argued, Ayame looked to Jenny before sighing and walking towards her.

"Jenny, can you and I talk for a minute?"

"Huh? Uh, sure."

As Jenny got up and walked, Ayame spoke quietly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Uh, do what?"

"To take them in? You've gotta know the responsibility that comes with doing this."

"Sure. I know I can handle it. There's scheduled bedtimes, daily hangouts, a brief talk session..."

"That's not what I meant."

"Huh?"

"When I say responsibility, I mean what do you think would happen if you fail to take care of them?"

Jenny knew all too well what she meant as Mr. Smythe made little to no progress with the grieving Nakamura and how sad he always looked.

"I know what you went through after Kumiko died, Ayame. And I'm telling you now, it's not going to happen to me."

"What if it does?"

Jenny didn't want to think about it, not did she want to start an argument as she took her deep breath.

"Then, I'll just have to deal with it."

"Don't you get it? You _shouldn't_ have to deal with it. The last thing I want is for you to be broken down by hate where there should've been care! I'm just... I just don't want that to happen to you."

Jenny looked down at the ground in sullenness as she spoke.

"I get it. And I appreciate that, Ayame, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm sure Kumiko would tell you the same."

With that, Jenny walked away, leaving Ayame stunted with her words before she knelt down to them.

"Hey, guys? Do you want to come with me? I can help you."

Ayame only sighed before she spoke to herself as she walked out of the lobby.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Jenny. That was my mistake."

* * *

Later, at a distant planet, the Castle landed in a really windy area as Coran spoke.

"Voltron air show, here we come!"

"I hope you booked a larger venue this time."

As the monitors came on, the group was surprised to see a dusty and windy landscape as Sapphire grew curious.

"What's that, mommy?"

"It's... dust. Why is it dust?"

Jenny was just as confused as they were as she spoke to Coran.

"Yeah. Coral, I'm not sure it's the best condition for a show, let alone for my two new buddies to hang out."

Suddenly, an anteater-like alien with a long purple snout and eyes like a snail's spoke to them frustratedly.

"Well, if it isn't Team Voltron, a day late and a fertronium short."

This confused Coran as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

"Is there a problem? Yes! Yes, there is a problem! You were supposed to be here yesterday! It was the one day out of the year we have clear skies. The other 720 days are like this!"

"Oh, I see my mistake. I forgot to calculate for time dilation."

"Oh, you made a mistake? The entire planet was out of their burrows for Clear-Day, just waiting. 'Where's Voltron?' they kept asking."

"Okay, th-that's on me."

"I said, 'don't worry, they'll show up,' but did you? No! Then everyone starts turning on me. 'You said they'd be here!'"

Then, Sapphire shouted at the chief.

"Well, maybe they had better things to do, you meanie!"

This made Jenny panic as she covered her mouth before she whispered to her.

"Quiet! It's not like that, Sapphire."

Then, the ground shook before Allura spoke.

"What was that?"

As Coran took a look, he noticed a giant creature pushing at the Castle as the chief spoke.

"It's a Swathian Meerakeet. They show up every day of the year except one. Guess which day?"

Jenny felt as though she got the message as she spoke.

"Okay, we get the message."

"Clear-day!"

As Jenny groaned frustratedly, Coran had an idea.

"Don't worry. They'll chase any beam of light. I'll lead him away while we get out of here."

With that, Coran shone a light from the spire of the Castle before the Meerakeet walked towards it, away from the Castle before it stomped in the other direction as it flew away.

* * *

Later, Coran spoke to the group.

"I'm really sorry about that."

Shiro and Lance felt sorry wasn't good enough this time.

"Coran, if we're going to expand this coalition in the short amount of time that we have, we can't afford these kinds of mistakes."

"That last show was pretty lame, though Sapphire would say different."

As he suspected, Sapphire disagreed as she had fun on Jenny's shoulders while she ran around before he spoke again.

"Either way, I don't know if you're cut out to be managing this thing."

"Just give me one more chance. I promise to turn it around."

* * *

Even later that night, Jenny tucked Sapphire into bed before giving her a good night kiss and sat by the mother.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me."

"Well, you had probably like zero breaks in that hospital. It's the least I could do."

Then, Cilia tried to think about Jenny's reasons as she asked her.

"Tell me. Did you take us in because you're a Paladin, or is that because of what we are?"

This gave her a moment of pause before Jenny answered.

"Well, it's mostly the second thing. I honestly have no clue how many of you are left. I guess taking you in was the only way to be sure you don't go too soon. And besides... I've always wanted a little sister to play with."

The mother then hugged Jenny before she spoke.

"You'll promise to take care of her, right?"

Feeling pressured into this, Jenny slowly hugged her back before answering as honest and earnest as she can.

"I promise."

While Ayame watched far away, she could only sigh in sorrow for the agony that is to be in store for Jenny.

* * *

At the same moment, Coran placed the item he'd swapped for in the hospital under the pillow before he slept. As he did, the balk turned out to be an egg before the creature that came from it went in his ear. Once inside, it noticed his brain, to which it gleefully squeaked before it clamped it's mouth on him, causing its belly to larger before the brain glowed blue with lightning inside. Outside, this made Coran's eyes widen with the pupils enlarged.

* * *

The next day, the paladins, Cilia, and Sapphire were in the space mall as Pidge and Shiro spoke.

"It's official. We've reached rock-bottom."

"Yeah, I don't know if this is the best place to get our message out to the widest audience."

Then, Coran spoke up in a sort of southern and hip accent.

"Shiro, baby, you're right. And I want what you want, man. But I've had some epiphanies, some ideas, some realizations. What we have to do is broadcast a show across an entire galaxy. We could reach the largest viewership in the history of intergalactic showbiz."

That pleased Lance as he spoke in favor of it.

"Aw, yeah!"

"But we need to workshop some things before we can take it to the next level."

Then, he zipped over to Sapphire as he spoke.

"You with me kid?"

"Uh... I, uh..."

"The I's have it. I like it."

This made Jenny worried about Coran.

"Hmm, something's different about you, Coran."

"You mean 'better.' Look, it's my mission to make sure our message really sings. Beautiful aliens from here to Vlexlar will know your name."

Lance could care less about them as he had Jenny by his side as he spoke.

"Honestly, I'm kinda over that."

Then, he went over to Shiro as he spoke.

"And your coalition will put the Drule's army to shame."

This got everyone confused as Jenny spoke.

"Okay, group huddle."

As they huddled, Jenny spoke to Hunk.

"So, uh, what do you think?"

"Well, it rhymes, so it's gotta be true."

As they whispered further, Sapphire went in the circle and popped up.

"What are you saying?"

This caused everyone to break up the circle before Jenny picked her up.

"Okay, Sapphire. When we get back, we're gonna need to set ground rules."

Lance then spoke to Jenny about her decision.

"Are you sure bringing Sapphire in is a good idea?"

"Sure. I mean, she loves our shows, right Sapphire?"

"Yeah!"

Shiro then sighed as they were left with no option.

"I guess we'll give it a try."

* * *

Later, as the crowd anticipated their stage, Coran reviewed his plan to everyone.

"Okay, we have got the air show down, which is great! But we need to add a theatrical element to expand. The hospital performance was a disaster, in spite of present company's praises, but I think it can work if you follow my guidelines, guys. Rule number one, never walk onto stage, alright? You gotta leap onto stage, roll onto stage. I'm talkin' explode onto stage!"

Lance liked the idea as he pointed at him.

"Yeah!"

This made Jenny suspicious.

"Those weren't the guidelines I took in theater class."

* * *

At the stage, a sort of dummy-lookalike of the robeast that attacked the Balmera rolled onward as Coran shouted.

"Oh, no! A laser-eyed monster! We need the Paladins of Voltron!"

As rock music began playing, Shiro and Allura leaped onto the stage as Pidge followed the cue with her landing via jetpack while Lapis followed Shiro and Allura's cue before Hunk, Lance, Jenny, and Ayame stepped in as the Red Paladin spoke.

"Your time's up, monster!"

With that, the crowd cheered while giving them applause.

* * *

Behind the curtain, Coran gave out the next step.

"Number two, don't just say your line. You gotta shout that line. Remember, louder is better!"

This sounded familiar to Jenny as she widened her eyes.

"Oh, you mean project your voices, right?"

"Indeed I do, Ms. Shaybon."

* * *

At the stage, Lance shouted to Allura.

"Keith, I need your help!"

"I'm on it!"

Jenny spoke to Ayame next with a shout.

"I need you to hold them back for me! The ceremony is key to healing the Balmera!"

"I've got your back!"

Then, Hunk shouted at the group.

"Look out! He's firing his lasers!"

With that, the siren wailed as the green light flickered between red and green, concerning a child in the crowd as he gasped.

* * *

Then, Coran gave out a final step that even Jenny could understand.

"And, finally, strike a pose after every movement. Everyone loves a pose."

"I get it now. You actually make the movement associated with your actions so it's believable."

"Correct!"

* * *

At the stage, Pidge caught the lookalike while Hunk and Pidge slimed it with Allura and Jenny using their bayards to slice the robes at while Ayame and Shiro leaped at the creature before the latter slammed her naginata at it before her brother sliced it in half again before they got in their poses as Coran spoke.

"Spread the word! The Voltron Coalition needs you!"

A member of the crowd who was pleased with the performance spoke up.

"I would like to join the Voltron Coalition!"

As the crowd gave their applause, the paladins gave their bows to the curtain call before they exited stage left as Pidge and Hunk spoke.

"At least the crowd stayed until the end."

"Uh-huh."

Jenny felt a rush of adrenaline from it.

"I can't believe how awesome we were that time! And all while following the guidelines!"

Shiro and Ayame were impressed with the development with it so far.

"That... actually went really well."

"Yeah. I gotta admit, it was... it was fun doing this."

"Yeah, you're trending galaxy-wide! I mean you're a four-quadrant hit! Your plus-sevens are plus ten! But that's just the beginning!"

With that, Coran moaned in a high voice, catching Jenny's notice as she got her fingers on her chin while growing suspicious before remembering something.

"Wait. Where are Cilia and Sapphire?"

With that, they spoke up from behind her as the latter giggled.

"Right behind you. You really put on a show back there."

"Thanks, you guys."

"But I just have to ask: when are you going to fight Kaecilius?"

This made Jenny grow weary before she turned to Coran.

"I don't know. But I really hope we get back to it soon."

* * *

At a far corner of the universe, they stopped at a giant planet shaped like a pill while Coran spoke.

"This is our first stadium, so let's get out there and really win some hearts and minds today!"

Then, a very thin alien arrived before it spoke in a strange tongue.

"Bi-boh-bi-bi. Bi-boh-bi-boh."

"Alright, you heard Bii-Boh-Bi."

This made Jenny raise an eyebrow .

"Uh... what did he say?"

"Five doboshes. Let's go! Places!"

* * *

With that, Cilia and Sapphire got themselves front row seats to watch a show as Coran spoke.

"Hello, bii-bohs and boh-biis! Tonight, the Paladins of Voltron take on Zarkon on ice!"

Then, Bii-Boh-Bi stepped up and spoke in his usual tongue to translate Coran's words.

"Bi-boh, bi-bohs! Boh-bi-bi Paladins of Voltron bi-bi-bi Zarkon. Bi-boh!"

Suddenly, Coran spoke again.

"Oh, no! It's Zarkon and the evil witch Haggar!"

"Bi-boh-bi-bi Zarkon! Boh-boh-bi Haggar!"

Then, the two stick-like aliens portraying Zarkon and Honerva spoke as they went on the stage.

"It is I, the greatest force of evil this universe has ever seen!"

"Sire, soon you will defeat the Paladins, and Voltron will be yours."

Then, Hunk spoke out to them.

"Not if I have something to say about it!"

As he gout out his bayard and aimed it at him, Hunk spoke.

"Take that, Zarkon!"

Suddenly, however, Hunk began slipping on the ice before he fell backward while zipping past them and skated while spinning as the crowd laughed while Coran bore a wicked grin while twisting his mustache before he spoke again as Pidge entered the stage next.

"Look, it's Pidge!"

"Don't worry, Hunk, I got your back!"

"She'll use her math and calculations to defeat Zarkon!"

"Bi-bi Pidge! Bi-bi-boh Zarkon!"

Suddenly, the actor playing Haggar tossed a small device near Pidge before she went over it, triggering a smokescreen before Pidge ended up wrapped in ribbons before falling on the ice.

"Oh, no! The witch's magic has counteracted Pidge's math! What are they going to do?"

Coran then winked at Bii-Boh-Bi before he pushed a button, causing the stage lights to turn on as they shone on Ayame, Allura, Shiro, Lance, and Jenny before the leader of Voltron spoke.

"We need teamwork! The only way to defeat Zarkon is with Voltron!"

They then engaged in a pose with Pidge and Hunk joining them before they put on the heads of their individual lions before "Voltron" is formed with Allura and Hunk as the feet, Lance and Pidge as the hands, and with Shiro standing on the shoulders of Ayame and Jenny with the two girls each holding one half of a White Lion together as Hunk spoke.

"Does anybody feel kinda stupid right now?"

Lance then whispered to him.

"Shut up, Hunk! They're lovin' us."

With that, "Voltron" went up towards the Zarkon and Haggar actors before the Red and Green lion heads shot out confetti at them before they end up being pulled away by rope as the Zarkon actor spoke.

"I'll get you next time!"

With Zarkon and Haggar off the stage, the crowd cheered before Jenny looked to see Cilia and Sapphire watching her before she grew embarrassed.

* * *

At the break room, Pidge asked the team an important question as they removed the lion boxes.

"How many of these appearances do we have to put on?"

"I know they seem humiliating, but Coran's ideas are working."

Ayame spoke in favor of this as she removed her helmet.

"He's right. Every performance draws more people to the cause. And that's coming from someone who put up with her shoulder being a footstool."

Lance spoke up next, not paying attention as he signed autographs.

"Exactly. All that stuff."

As Coran noticed this, he pushed the crowd aside as he spoke.

"Okay, alright, let's go, come on! We've got business to discuss!"

With the crowd out of the way, he spoke with the group.

"First of all, great job. Tonight was a big success. Now, we're back on track! Better than ever! There's no doubt about it, you're stars. But, to go supernova, you gotta push it even further."

Pidge then gave out a detail about what a supernova was.

"A supernova is an exploding star."

However, that was the point Coran was trying to make as he went all up in her face.

"And what's brighter than that? Here's the deal. I've worked up very specific personas for each of you. This is gonna help the audience connect on a much deeper level with each team member. There's Loverboy Lance."

This caught both Lance and Jenny by surprise as the latter blushed while the former spoke.

"Loverboy Lance? It's perfect because it's true."

"Yeah, it sorta is, isn't it?"

Then, Coran spoke up to Pidge.

"You're Science-Wiz Pidge. Whoa! Look out, big brain! We've got Lone Wolf Keith. That's you, 'cause you're Keith. And I'm thinking your catchphrase could be like a howl."

This made Allura growl before Coran spoke.

"Well, that's more of a growl, but you'll keep working on it. Jenny, you're gonna be Joyful Jenny."

This made Jenny speak up her opinion.

"That does sound like me. I'm in!"

"That's the spirit! Ayame, you'll be Audacious Ayame. After all, you take a lot of bold risks for your team."

"That's... surprisingly accurate."

"Good. It's supposed to be. Hunk, from now on, you'll be Humorous Hunk. And last but not least... Shiro the Hero!"

As he raised his arm, Shiro gave him a weird look before Jenny spoke.

"Wait, what about Lapis and her team? Aren't they part of the show?"

"Well, yes, but they don't come on until later. Hence the guest appearances. Got anything else for me?"

"Uh, actually, I was thinking that maybe we're..."

"Good? You're good! Everyone's good! Let's move on!"

This made Jenny grumble before she spoke to herself.

"But I've got a family to look after."

Coran, having heard this, went over to her and spoke.

"Whatcha say now?"

"Uh... I said I've got a family to look after?"

"Oh, that. Don't worry. You'll get plenty of spare time with your adoptive family. It'll be like you never left. And, on top of that, we'll get back to the fight with Kaecilius when the Coalition has enough members."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. In fact, you can bet your little cheeks on that."

This made Jenny offended a bit before she slapped Coran with a backhand before she gasped as he explained while his voice had a hint of pain.

"I meant your face cheeks."

"Sorry."

* * *

As time went on, their performances grew longer and more elaborate as Coran turned to Hunk.

"Remember, you're Humorous Hunk, so be funny."

"Yeah, okay."

Then, Hunk realized he had no idea how to do that as he never made a joke.

"How do I do that?"

"Don't worry, alright? I got you covered."

As Hunk ran outward, Coran spoke in the microphone to Bii-Boh-Bi.

"Bii-Boh-Bi, engage Humorous Hunk."

Suddenly, the sticklike aliens tripped Hunk, making him roll onto the stage and drop his weapon before a sound of flatulence came as Coran pushed a button on the mixer, earning the crowd's laughter as Hunk spoke.

"That— That wasn't me. That— I don't know who that was."

As the crowd laughed, Jenny looked out the curtain and saw that Cilia and Sapphire felt bad for Hunk, giving her enough indication that they weren't digging the performance. Frankly, she's beginning to dislike the performance herself, but the only reason she kept shut about it is that she could spend time with them and not have to worry about breaking her promise. Ayame was the only one who can see her worry as she felt bad for her.

* * *

After another round of performances in which Voltron himself is official alongside its counterpart, the White Voltron, the Paladins looked at the star maps with small green clusters and an increasing number of bigger ones as Sapphire marveled at the colors while Coran spoke.

"Wow..."

"Look how popular we've become!"

* * *

At another performance, Shiro spoke with Coran.

"Coran. I think it would go a long way if I can deliver a speech about how we're trying to unite a front and build a coalition."

"What? Stop talkin'! You're Shiro the Hero. Heroes don't speak. You're silent ninja."

"Wh— But—"

"Shh! Zip it. Muscles speak louder than words. Right? It's always been my motto. Now, put on this super tight shirt and get out there!"

* * *

As the performances and crowd numbers rose up, so did Coran's evident madness as Pidge spoke to him about a certain problem of hers.

"Hey, Coran, I'm having real issues with the science you put in the script. It doesn't make sense."

"Oh, it doesn't need to."

"But I hate saying all these made-up scientific words. Isn't the audience gonna be confused?"

"Oh, they'd be confused if you used the real words, too!"

* * *

At another performance, Pidge's problem arrived as Jenny spoke up.

"What just happened?"

"'I just reconfigured the flytzal mac protocol to reverse-quadrant the spectrum harfinger.'"

"Mm-hmm. I guess Pidge just defeated the Drule with science!"

As another flatulence sound came, Pidge and Jenny smiled at him while Coran and Bii-Boh-Bi gave each other a thumbs-up.

* * *

At the star maps, two more big green clusters came on as Jenny looked back to see Cilia and Sapphire walking away, making Jenny feel bad for them as she hung her head down, catching Lance and Ayame's notice before he walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

* * *

At another performance, Jenny was going down the Red Lion with Lance as he twirled around the rope, surprising Jenny as she giggled.

"You're amazing, Loverboy Lance. And I think Red can agree."

Then, Coran spoke up as the Red Lion's voice.

"And I do."

Then, as Coran growled, Lance chuckled as he spoke.

"Thanks, guys."

* * *

At the lounge, Coran showed the Paladins increased progress of the coalition as he spoke elatedly.

"Guys, the recruitment rallies are amazing. Look at all the green on this map!"

Allura then spoke her opinion, giving what has happened more often than not.

"We certainly had our doubts at first, but I have to admit, Coran, your plan is actually working."

"Why, thank you, Keith! I like to keep you in character."

This made Jenny concerned as she noticed Coran's baggy eyeshadow.

"Whoa. Coran, have you been sleeping at all?"

"Oh, come on. I'm fine. And it's only gonna get better with a few improvements."

This concerned Pidge and Hunk.

"More improvements?"

"Please, no more farts."

Jenny was concerned about something else.

"Is that going to cut in on my time with Cilia and Sapphire by chance?"

"Hear me out. First, it's time Voltron starts to talk. Everyone's dying to hear what the big guy sounds like."

Hearing this, Jenny remembered the time when she was so eager for them to form Voltron and hear him but moved on shortly after.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that now."

"I knew you would. Next, we'll introduce new weapons and new outfits for each of you."

Shiro was still stuck on the focus of the mission.

"Coran, what are you talking about? We only have one more show. After the big intergalactic broadcast, we're done."

"What are _you_ talking about? We're just getting started here! We can't stop now!"

In his brain, the parasite was still affecting his mind as it began to glow brighter before Hunk, Lance, and Allura spoke.

"Uh, Coran, you feelin' okay?"

"Yeah, you seem extra twitchy."

"You just realize that we need to get back to fighting Kaecilius."

"We _are_ fighting Kaecilius! Six nights a week and twice in the astral conflux!"

Suddenly, Bii-Boh-Bi arrived and spoke to Coran.

"Bi-bi-boh bi-bi-bi-bi-oh bi-bi-bi-boh-bi-bi."

"I don't care if the new laser show a here! What have I told you about walkin' in when I'm talking to the talent?!"

This made Bii-Boh-no sad as he walked out dejectedly making Jenny feel bad for him.

"Boh..."

"Poor Bii-Boh-bi."

"Coran, we have to do our next event. But after that, no more shows."

Then, Coran turned to Jenny and put his hands on her shoulders in desperation.

"C'mon, Jenny!"

"Whoa!"

"You'll support me, right? From one Altean to another?"

Jenny then looked out the door to see Cilia and Sapphire with concerned looks on their faces before she answered.

"I... I can't."

"What? You can't or you _won't_?"

"Let me rephrase. I won't. I only did those gigs so that we can help the coalition expand, not for whatever celebrity scheme you've cooked up."

"I don't believe this. You— you're quitting on me?"

"Yeah. I guess I am."

As expected, this infuriated him.

"You're a bunch of quitters! QUITTERS! I'm a visionary! I have thoughts, ideas! I don't need you anyway! I'll rewrite the show, get rid of the whole lot of ya! Replace you with new Paladins! And the show will be better than ever before!"

As he walked out, the door closed before it opened again as he spoke.

"Except for you, Shiro. I'll never get rid of you. You're our most popular character. But the rest of you will never work in show business again!"

With that, Coran stomped away as Jenny sighed before looking at them.

"It's okay. After this, we're done messing around. We'll be back to fighting him for real."

As they looked at her with hope, Lance spoke to Shiro.

"Wait... _you're_ the most popular character?"

As they all sighed, Jenny began wondering how Coran acted that way.

"What I'm more concerned about is what's keeping Coran in hyper mode? It's almost like he's... not himself."

* * *

At the stadium entrance, Shiro spoke to the team.

"Alright, remember, guys, this is being broadcast galaxy-wide. It's the final piece in our plan. So, let's make our last appearance our best appearance."

Then, Allura and Jenny spoke about a certain friend of theirs.

"I'm concerned about Coran."

"You kidding? I'm concerned _of_ him."

Hunk scoffed at this before he spoke.

"He was getting crazy. He'll realize that soon enough."

Then, Bii-Boh-Bi came by as he spoke.

"Bi-boh bi-boh-bi."

Lance then stated his confusion to the others.

"I have no idea what Bii-Boh-Bi is saying."

* * *

At the same dusty planet where the chief complained, Coran mumbled to himself.

"They think they can stop my dream machine? Not on my watch. This show's going on forever and ever. It's done when I say it's done, and it's not done. I'm saying it's not done, and we're doing it now!"

Then, Coran got out a glare and waved it in circles before a Swathian Meerakeet popped up and roared.

"This next performance is gonna be longer, better, bigger! You're about to steal the show!"

Meanwhile, the performance went on as usual while attracting the attention of Varkon, Queen Luxia, Plaxum, and countless others before a sound came far away as Shiro spoke.

"Did you hear that rumbling?"

"According to my thermal calculations, there's only one thing that can cause a sound like that. A Drule robeast."

Lance and Jenny then spoke up next as they shouted.

"Kaecilius has sent a robeast to try and destroy us and the planet!"

"Well, we'll show him who destroys whom!"

"Everyone, we need to form Voltron!"

As the lights went out, Voltron arrived with the White Voltron beside it as they spoke.

"We are Voltron."

"We are here to defend the universe."

As the crowd cheered, a robeast was about to emerge when a claw crushed the lift for it down on the ground, causing both Voltrons to turn as the original spoke first.

"What was that?"

"That's not like any robeast we've ever faced."

To their surprise, they saw a Swathian meerakeet standing ready to fight as Pidge spoke.

"Wow, Bii-Boh-Bi has really upped his effects game."

Then, Jenny noticed Coran on top of it as she spoke.

"Oh, no... Coran!"

"A new star is born! Time to steal the show! Yee-haw!"

As the creature roared, Jenny shouted at him.

"You madman! What have you done?!"

Bii-Boh-Bi paid no mind to it as he turned on the lights, distracting it before he jumped around, knocking Coran off before he whacked him in the studio bay with his tail. In his mind, though, the creature only lost a bit of footing as it dangled from where it bit into him.

All the same, the creature chased after the light that went after the crowd, including Cilia and Sapphire, much to Jenny's fear before she gripped the meerakeet and flung him away from the crowd before it shot a sort of sound wave at the White Voltron. As it dodged the blast, the sound wave created an explosion before Ayame and Jenny spoke.

"I don't remember rehearsing this part."

"That's because we didn't! Coran brought that thing here! If we don't stop that thing, Cilia and Sapphire would get hurt, or worse!"

Ayame looked at her in concern before she spoke.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm more sure of it than anything!"

Meanwhile, Coran got up and saw both Voltrons fighting the meerakeet before he groaned while placing his hand to his head.

"Must help Voltron."

However, the parasite gained control of him again as he spoke insanely again.

"Must put on the biggest spectacle in the history of the universe!"

As Coran tried to fight the parasite, Bii-Boh-Bi went over to him while panting as Coran rebuffed him.

"Get away, Bii-Boh-Bi! You'll ruin the show!"

Then, he got control back again to plead for his help.

"Help me, Bii-Boh-Bi! You're my only hope!"

Fortunately, he knew what to do as he reached his hand into his brain and pulled the parasite out as Coran got the relief he needed before he thwacked the parasite away as he spoke.

"You saved me."

"Bi!"

Then, he saw how hard Jenny is trying to keep the meet alert away from Cilia and Sapphire.

"Jenny's the only one who knows what's going on. The rest think it's all part of the show I have to warn them!"

Then, Coran ran over to the communicator before he spoke.

"Paladins, that monster you're fighting onstage is real! I know because I brought it!"

Allura grew surprised that Coran would do such a thing.

"What?"

"A brain worm talked me into it! I'll explain later about that bit."

As Voltron dodged it, Hunk grew worried.

"Wait, that's not just really great special effects?"

With that, the Meerakeet fired a sonic blast as Shiro spoke.

"Pidge, put up the shield!"

As Voltron did this, he blocked the blast before firing its own at the creature, catching Pidge and Lance's attention.

"The lasers aren't working!"

"That thing took a direct hit, and we barely did any damage!"

As the Meerakeet leaped at Voltron, it got out of the way before it looked up to the holo screen.

"I've got an idea. We can use the lights from the hover screen to lure the monster away from the crowd."

Allura took this moment for action as she spoke.

"I've got this."

With that, Allura used Voltron to kick the hover screen away from the stadium before it gave chase as the crowd cheered with the Meerakeet gone from their presence as Hunk congratulated her.

"Nice job, Keith!"

As this earned Allura's glare, Jenny looked to see to it that Cilia and Sapphire were alright as she spoke.

"Cilia! Sapphire! You guys okay?"

"Yes. We're fine now. Thanks to you."

"Yeah! That was so fun!"

Jenny smiled at them before putting on a sad look on her face, making Ayame notice this as she could tell what's going on with her. She then put her hand on her shoulder as she spoke.

"When we get back, we need to have a talk."

* * *

At the Castle, Coran spoke to the team.

"I'm so sorry, guys. I shouldn't have trusted that strange Unilu. Looking back, it seems like such an obviously bad decision."

Lance couldn't agree more.

"Yeah. Worm pills? Gross!"

"I didn't mean to take us this far off mission."

Shiro saw the bright side of it.

"Well, believe it or not, the plan worked. Our coalition is bigger than ever."

This made Hunk surprised.

"What? Really?"

Then, Bi-Boh-Bii spoke to the group.

"Boh! Bi!"

However, that wasn't what Coran was in the mood for."

"Bii-Boh-Bi! What have I told you about interrupting when I'm talking to the talent?!"

"Boh-Bi."

Then, Shiro noticed that two girls weren't around.

"Wait. Where's Jenny and Ayame?"

Lance had an answer for that.

"Well, Jenny said she and Ayame needed to have a talk. I think you can guess what it's about."

* * *

At the hall, Ayame talked with Jenny.

"I don't believe it. What could've crossed your mind to bring them into this?"

"I didn't bring them into this. They just... they happened to be at the same place. For... me."

It was then that she realized what she meant. By taking them away from their sanctuary, however lonely and sad it may be, she's only made them bigger targets for whatever threat came to attack them. As long as she's around, they'll still be in mortal danger. Of course, she's capable of helping them stay alive, but for how long? She didn't want to consider that possibility, but now she's forced to think about it.

"Oh, quiznak. What am I doing?"

As Jenny looked to the floor in shame, Ayame snapped her out of it.

"Jenny. I know how much you want to care for them. But the truth is, you're not always going to be around to protect them, no matter how much you want to be. And I know that better than anyone. I don't know what crossed your mind to do that, but you shouldn't have."

"I know. After today, I started rethinking what I did for them. I got them safe today, by what's the point if I have to face something worse tomorrow? Maybe I should just send them back to the hospital. At least that way they'll be safer."

Unbeknownst to them, Sapphire overheard this and grew sad before Ayame spoke.

"I'm not saying you should do that."

"What? Then what _are_ you trying to say then?"

"I'm saying don't make promises you can't keep unless you've got a plan to fully commit to keeping it. That was my mistake back at the Garrison. You need to have a plan for how you're going to keep an eye on them. Especially when you're not always around."

As she thought about this, Jenny put on a big smile, having an idea of who will look after them.

"You know, you're right. If I can't be around to protect them... I know who will be."

As Jenny started going to her room, she saw Sapphire peeking out of the corner before she picked her up.

"Hey, Sapphire. How much did you hear?"

"I heard that you're gonna send us back. Are you going to send us back?"

"No. I considered that, but... Listen, after today, I realized something. I'm not always gonna be around to keep you guys safe. So, in the meantime, while I'm away, someone else will hand with you."

"Really? Who?"

With that, Jenny knocked on Belle's door before she opens the door, wearing Shiro's black long-sleeved shirt that Coran offered to him for the show before Jenny spoke.

"Hey, sis! How'd you like to have another little sister?"

Sapphire then waved to Belle.

"Hi."

Belle then widened her eyes before she glared at Jenny as she spoke.

"You owe me an outstanding explanation for this."

"Don't worry. She's not my kid. I just took her and Cilia in."

With that, Belle took Cilia from her shoulders, Sapphire giggled while the older sister drew a heavy breath of relief.

"Oh. You really scared me there. I really thought you had a baby."

"What? No."

This puzzled Sapphire as she spoke.

"Where do babies come from?"

This made both girls nervous before Belle spoke.

"Yeah, just ask your mother."

This made Ayame giggle before noticing Jenny as she walked up to her.

"Well, it's settled. My big sis agreed to look after her when I'm gone on missions."

"Good. But, you do know she's not the only one to keep a eye on them, right?"

"Yeah, I know. All that matters is that they're safe. Anyway, listen. I'm... sorry for what I said to you about Kumiko. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, it's okay. Really. You were right about one thing: she wasn't a kid. Any more than you are."

Jenny smiled before she spoke.

"I just can't wait until all this is over. Then we could all go home."

Ayame could agree with her on that.

"Yeah. And then peace will come to the Galra Empire."

"Yeah. But just dreaming about won't help. We have to work for this. However long it takes, something tells me this next one is for keeps."


	39. Begin the Blitz

**Chapter 38:** Begin the Blitz

At the Castle, Kolivan gave out the news of recent development as Keith, Lapis, and Sandra were beside him.

"Entire Galra fleets have been mobilized. Zarkon still seems to be looking for Lotor."

Shiro and Ayame knew with his force and renewed sanity that it meant one thing.

"It's only a matter of time before he gets the empire back in order."

"Hopefully, with the Galra Empire striving for peace this time."

"Right. But Kaecilius is also being backed into a corner. We need to take advantage of this moment."

"What are you getting at, Takashi?"

As Shiro explained to Ayame, he brought up the star maps with the green planets taking up almost a third of the cluster of Drule occupied planets.

"Now is the time to assemble the coalition that Voltron has been building. With intelligence gathered by Rogue Thrust, the Blades, and coalition observers, combined with Pidge's Galra tracking software, we now have a detailed map of the Galra Empire. I've identified an intermittent line of coalition planets that runs through the territory. If you look closely, there's only one Galra-occupied planet left on that line."

Alphus knew what he meant as she spoke.

"Naxzela, right?"

"Exactly. If we capture Naxzela and solidify that line, we can cut off all the Drule troops behind it from Kaecilius' cruiser and use our position to defeat them."

Jenny is impressed with the plan's results.

"That means we could take back a third of the Drule Empire faster than you can say 'Quiznak.'"

Hunk was concerned with how to pull it off.

"Do we have a plan?"

"We attack several locations across the region, at once. First, we'll have to cut off communications between the region and Kaecilius' Cruiser by striking the satellite relay station orbiting Vantax Five."

Hunk then spoke up about that part as it seemed easiest.

"Pidge and I can handle that."

"Rogue Thrust and the Blades have informed us of two Galra defense systems coming online called Zaiforge cannons. Now, from what Alphus told us, these cannons were used to primarily destroy planets of six of them got together. And they can strike any target within our combat theater. The first, in high-orbit around planet Teq, will be attacked by coalition air forces led by Matt and Captain Olia. Lapis and the Rogue Thrust will lead a Marmoran strike team against the second cannon, located on the surface of Senfama, which is vulnerable to a covert ground attack. We intend to take control of these cannons and use Kaecilius' own firepower against him. Once the coalition forces and Blades neutralize these targets, Galra defenses will be weakened, allowing us to take down the remaining Galra-occupied planets in this area. While our forces are taking control of the planets, Naxzela will already be under attack."

"By whom?"

"Voltron."

Then, Lance put his arms around Jenny and Pidge as he spoke.

"Aw, yeah! Team Voltron's gonna drop in Naxzela, form Hunk's giant laser cannon, and be all like, 'Pow! Pow! Pow!' Easy-peasy."

"Unfortunately, not that easy. Naxzela will be tough. It's heavily fortified with Drules. Our attack must be swift enough to neutralize the Drule forces before they have time to contact Galra Headquarters. 'Cause if they call for reinforcements, we'll be caught in a fight on two fronts."

Kolivan proved he was in favor of it as he spoke.

"If this works, the Voltron Coalition will possess a third of the Galra Empire's territory. It will be a massive victory."

"And inspire a whole new wave of rebellions."

"There's no time to waste. Meeting adjourned."

As everyone got ready to leave, Keith spoke to Ayame.

"Ayame, wait. There's... there's something I have to say to you."

"If you're gonna apologize, save it. I don't want to hear any excuses. I just want this to be over."

As she walked away, Jenny felt bad for her before she spoke to herself.

"Awkward..."

* * *

At space, Lotor spoke to his generals on the other ship.

"Ezor, Acxa, Kurziam, sry a course for the coordinates I'm sending you."

The former of the three was concerned about the location.

"Where are we going?"

"Just do as I say. I'll explain when the moment arrives."

As she set the coordinates, she also secured communications to Lotor, Syn, and Zethrid as Acxa spoke to her.

"Ezor, what are you doing?"

"Securing communications to make sure Lotor and Syn can't hear us. Zarkon called him a fugitive. Lotor's in the run. As his generals, that means we—"

"We must trust Lotor."

"What about Narti? She trusted him. You saw where that got her."

"Syn didn't kill her, Ezor. He just stripped her of that peeping spell."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. Still, she ended up pretty close to being dead. Is what we're doing really worth that risk?"

"Enough. Lotor will protect us."

"And if he can't?"

Acxa didn't want to think about that as she snapped.

"I said that's enough."

With that, Acxa shut off communications as she took a deep breath before she began to consider that possibility before rejecting it.

"No. He can protect us. And he will."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Blue and Yellow lions went back to the newly evolved Balmera with Hunk and Allura saying hello to Shay and the others while Shiro, Ayame, and Jenny paid a visit to the Taujeerians, and Lance and Pidge went to the Olkarions and looked at the map before regrouping in the Castle.

"Alright, Paladins, its time to gather the coalition. Friends and allies from across the universe must come together to take on the Drule. With their help, we'll have a chance to turn the tides of this war. We all knew this moment would come, and we are more prepared now than we've ever been. Let's do this."

* * *

Meanwhile, in outer space, Lotor and his generals were near a dusty area with Zethrid speaking about the radar's coordinates.

"Sir, we're approaching the coordinates, but my scanners don't detect anything."

"They're not supposed to."

When they passed through the rocky fog, they saw why. The planet in front of them was destroyed with a portal generator in front of it as Ezor voiced her query.

"Lotor, what is this?"

"The ruins of planet Daibazaal."

As they got closer to the portal, Ezor grew more curious about the device at its crater.

"What is that?"

"Assuming my father's words are anything to go by, Omegus believed that Alfor's plan to blow up Daibazaal and destroy the rift between realities actually worked. No one comprehended that the experiments of my mother, Honerva, could never be undone. I had a secret team construct this inter-reality gate on the rift, where her work began. Just as Voltron was able to, I will pilot us through the rift, and we will harvest the unlimited Quintessence that exists in the layer between realities and being peace to this universe."

Acxa knew her faith wasn't in vain as she replied.

"I never doubted you, Lotor."

Ezor was concerned about how it'd work.

"So, we can just fly right through this thing to another reality?"

Lotor answered her as he turned the gate on.

"I've not yet had a chance to test the gate. My plans have been accelerated by our recent turn of events. But if my calculations are correct, by infusing our ships with concentrated Quintessence, we should be able to pierce the barrier between realities."

As the ship glowed from the Quintessence fuel, Zethrid grew all the more concerned as the fuel is depleting rapidly.

"Sir, this is all the concentrated Quintessence we have left."

"And I will use it to reap an untold amount more."

As the ship crossed through the gate, the blue light glowed brightly. However, they only just passed through the gate. Not to a new reality. Rather to the other side of the same crater as Zethrid spoke.

"Uh... did it work?"

As Lotor hung his head down, Syn glared at him with Acxa showing concern about Lotor for the first time.

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny went over to Honerva and tried to tell her the good news.

"Honerva, I have something awesome to tell you!"

"If it's about your plans for taking a third of the Drule Empire back, I already know."

"No, it's even better! I found two more Alteans!"

This gave Honerva cause for surprise and concern as she turned to her.

"What did you just say?"

"There's two more Alteans! Look!"

As Jenny grabbed Honerva by her hand, the two of them teleported in a blue haze before reappearing in Belle's room where Cilia and Sapphire were hanging out before Jenny introduced them.

"Ta-da! This is Cilia, and the little girl is Sapphire!"

As the Alteans looked at the stunted Honerva, the little girl waved to her.

"Hi."

"W-Where did you find them?"

"I found them in a hospital ward. Turns out, they lived there for most of their lives. I wanted to give them a better life, so... I took them in."

"You do realize this is a major responsibility."

"I know. That's what Ayame told me. But, if you ever saw someone in need of help, wouldn't you do the same?"

Honerva sighed at this before she spoke.

"I pray that you know what you're doing."

As she walked out, Jenny sighed back before Sapphire spoke.

"Jenny?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we really a bother for you?"

"No, you guys. I— it's not you. It's me. I thought I was ready for it, but apparently, I just went ahead without any idea about what I'm doing. That's why I introduced you to Belle the other day. I thought maybe she can look after you when I'm not around. And I mean that in a sort of deadly way."

"But why?"

Jenny began tearing up at the thought of what her actions would do to them if she brought them into the war as she tried to hold back her sobs.

"Because... no matter how much I might want to... I can't always be there to protect you. And I want you guys to be safe. I really do. But I can't make that happen if... if you..."

Then, Jenny's dam burst as she thrusted herself at Cilia and sobbed in her shirt while trying to speak.

"I don't want you to die, okay?! I don't want you to die because of me!"

As Jenny sobbed onwards, Sapphire walked over to her and hugged her, catching her by surprise as she was ambushed.

"Why would we die? You're not a bad person."

"Yeah, b-but..."

"Stop crying, please. It makes me so sad."

This made her gasp before she nodded and wiped her tears away.

"Okay. Thank you, Sapphire. I needed that."

* * *

At Olkarion, Hunk and Pidge spoke with Rolo, Beezer, and Nyma as the former spoke to Hunk.

"We heard about the Voltron Coalition against Kaecilius."

"Yeah, we heard about you, too. Matt told us you've been helping with the coalition forces and the Balmerans."

"You guys really inspired all of us."

Then, Pidge noticed Beezer buzzing at him, only to earn a glare from him before he buzzed again. Eventually, the walls Pidge built up broke down as she hugged the robot.

"Oh, Beezer, I can't stay mad at you!"

* * *

At the bridge, the Paladins and the rebel forces gathered to Allura as Babak spoke.

"Alright, Princess, it's time to begin the broadcast."

Then, Allura turned to Alphus.

"Are you sure you don't want to do this, Alphus?"

"After what I've done, they shouldn't look up to me. They should look up to someone they can depend on."

"I understand. Have we secured communications?"

Pidge took the liberty to answer.

"Yes. Matt and I used the rebel's transponder encryption."

Coran thought this useful.

"Always helps to have a pair of tech-genius siblings around."

With that, Allura turned on the Castle before the communications spread to every free planet there was so far as she spoke proudly.

"Fellow members of the Voltron Coalition, if you are hearing me now, it is because you have pledged to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our fight against Kaecilius' enslavement of the free peoples of the universe. Even Zarkon has been inspired to act in defiance against this injustice, as the former Black Paladin was once a victim of his own enslavement for 10,000 years, possessed by the same dark force that even now Kaecilius serves for his own ends. But that enslavement is about to be dealt a crushing blow. The time for a full-scale attack on the Drule Empire is now. Far in the future, when they speak of this day, they will speak of the sacrifice, but they will also remember this as the day that freedom began to overtake tyranny. You all have your missions. You know what to do. Good luck. We'll see you on the other side."

* * *

Later, Hunk and Pidge flew over the satellite array, cloaked in the Green Lion as Shiro spoke to them via communicator.

"When you finish knocking out the communications hub, meet us at the rendezvous point."

"Copy that, Shiro. According to its trajectory, it passes through the dark zone in five ticks."

"No pressure. Just the entire coalition rests on us disabling this Galra comm station."

"Four, three, two, one."

On that cue, Hunk and Pidge flew to the communications hub and entered in it as a dark shadow went over them.

Inside, the Galra Officer in charge of it heard a banging as he turned behind him to see the drones looking to that noise as well before the door exploded and Hunk and Pidge shot out the officer's bodyguards with their bayards as he tried to send an alarm. When Hunk came under attack by a drone, he activated his shield in place of his bayard as he shouted to Pidge.

"Pidge, we can't let them trip that alarm!"

With that, Pidge wrapped the officer with her bayard before she pulled him away. However, he stood his ground, forcing Pidge to be pulled into his direction as she used a jet pack in an attempt to fight him. As she tried to kick him, he swerved before Pidge tried to punch the officer, only for him to grab her arm and flip her to the wall. Using momentum, she used her jet pack to land on him and ride in his back before the officer slammed her to the floor. As Hunk noticed Pidge stopping him, he shouted to her.

"Pidge, duck!"

As she backed up, Hunk did an elbow drop on the officer, knocking him out before they got back to business. With that, Hunk removed the panel under the relay systems before Pidge jacked into it as the systems showed her doing a monkey face.

"Comm station hacked, ghost signal initiated. Fully automated, so Drule HQ thinks it's running. We have about eight hours before they figure it out."

"Until then, no call gets in or out."

"Coran and Babak will monitor it from the Castle so we know when its back online. Great work, guys."

* * *

On a Zaiforge Cannon base near Teq, Vantiv and Varek in charge there as their soldier reported to them.

"Commanders, we detect an enemy fleet of coalition ships entering the system."

Vantiv grew pleased with this as she spoke.

"Good. Arm defense cannon systems and prepare the main cannon."

As the coalition ships approached, they took aim on the ship before Olia spoke to her crew along with Rolo.

"You guys ready for this?"

"Ready as we'll ever be."

"Alright, then. All ships form up and begin attack."

Varek felt it should be no problem as he spoke.

"Hmm, if we're going to use our Zaiforge cannon, it'd be a show of our supremacy. Let's toy with them a bit first."

Vantiv smiled at his idea.

"Giving them false hope before breaking it, hmm? I like the way you think. Scramble the fighters."

With that, the Drule fighters began attacking the coalition ships as they hit a few of them before Olia saw an increase in numbers.

"Here they come!"

As they evaded the fighters, the opposing side got their ships blown out of the sky as they got ambushed by other rebel ships before Olia spoke again.

"We have to take out those defensive turrets!"

"Roger. Ribbit."

As they swerved toward them and shot, however, the shields protected the weaponry as Matt spoke.

"Captain, there's no way we can get through those shields!"

"All crafts, pull back!"

As they did, they happened to be in the path of the cannon as Varek spoke.

"Running away, are we? Sorry to say you won't have that chance. Fire when ready."

As luck would have it, the cannon was ready as it glowed a purple-black orb before firing at the ships retreating as they turned to dust to the horror of Rolo, Nyma, Beezer, Matt, Olia, and a white-masked figure as the soldier spoke to Varek.

"Commander, the attack was successful. A third of the rebel forces have been decimated."

"Good. Prepare for a second attack."

All the while, Vantiv can't help but get a suspicious feeling.

"This seems a bit too easy..."

"It is. I know they're bound to pull something sooner or later. But until they do, these mortals will be swatted like the gnats they are."

As the situation escalated, Olia called out to another group.

"Blades, we're in trouble! What's the status of your cannon? Blades!"

* * *

On Senfama, Keith and Lapis responded as he spoke while he and the Blades, including Rogue Thrust, ran to the cannon.

"Copy that, Olia. We're en route."

"Just hang in there as best as you can."

When they got there, Adea sliced a drone with her luxite scythe before tossing it at another and kicking it deeper in that drone before she pulled her weapon out from it. Next, Atchiam ducked as she came under fire before punching the drones with her arms plated in luxite before they went up to the base where a soldier gave the information of their condition to its captain.

"Commander, I detect a large mass entering Planet Naxzela's atmosphere. It's not one of ours."

"Contact Drule HQ."

"All communications seem to be down. Our alerts aren't getting through."

"Activate cannon. We must defend—"

Suddenly, a weapon sliced the soldier beside him before he fell as the commander met with Lapis' sword which tripped his legs while cutting them before Sandra leaped in ahead and sliced through the drones with her katana while she turned to Keith, who took the controls of the cannon.

"All clear, brother."

"Now, let's see how this thing works."

* * *

At the Castle, Sapphire noticed a cannon turning green.

"Look!"

Babak grew ecstatic as he shouted.

"About time! The Senfama Zaiforge cannon is ours. Naxzela attack is under way."

* * *

On Naxzela, three Drule commanders were lounging outside before they heard a banging thunder as a Drule cruiser split in half fell to the planet's surface before Voltron himself appeared alongside the White Voltron as the soldiers ran away with the one left behind literally hopping away like he's on a pogo stick. As they confronted the army on Naxzela, Shiro spoke to all of the Paladins present on the planet.

"Alright, Paladins, we've only got one chance to take Naxzela, so let's make it count."

* * *

Meanwhile, Olia's team isn't able to hide for long as the Drule fighters shot at them.

"We can't take this fire for long!"

The masked figure had an idea.

"See if the Blades can use their cannon to take down the shield."

"Copy that!"

In the meantime, Olia had a plan in mind.

"We need to find cover, now!"

As she looked up, Olia had an idea where to hide.

"All ships form up and get behind that large asteroid!"

As they hid, they fired at the fighters while getting cover from the Zaiforge cannon as it shifted in the direction of the asteroid while the soldier spoke.

"The remaining rebel forces are attempting to shield themselves behind that large asteroid."

Vantiv only smiled at this.

"That won't help them for long."

"Zaiforge cannon is in position. Awaiting your orders."

"You may fire when ready."

With that, the cannon fired at the asteroid, slowly breaking it down as the coalition felt the force of it.

* * *

On Naxzela, both Voltrons shot at the Drule cruisers as well as its base and towers. As they did, Lance noticed a shot coming on.

"Incoming cruiser, three o'clock!"

As Voltron dodged the fire from its ion cannon, it flew after it only to feel an explosion coming from behind as Allura spoke.

"What was that?"

"I didn't see any—"

Before Lance could finish, they came under attack from another explosion, forcing him to land on the ground. But even that wasn't safe as one random explosion after another got Voltron teeter-tottering, much to Jenny and Ayame's worry as they checked.

"Guys!"

"Are you alright?!"

Shiro grunted as he spoke.

"We're fine. What's hitting us?"

Jenny had an idea and didn't like it.

"Dunno. I think it might be some sorta invisible minefield."

Pidge confirmed her theory as she looked via Green Lion's specs.

"She's right. Somehow, the bombs were cloaked."

Then, Hunk saw another fire coming on.

"Shield. Shield!"

As Voltron blocked the ion cannon, Pidge spoke onward.

"My systems are able to detect the mines, but there's just too many to safely maneuver through them. And, with the cruisers covering all possible exits from this minefield, we have no way out!"

Allura thought differently as an idea cane to her head.

"Wait a tick. Perhaps I can freeze the mines."

Lance knew where she was going with this.

"Then we could fly out of here before they explode."

Jenny added another detail to that.

"And then we can blow them up to get those cruisers off our backs."

Shiro considered the plan as he spoke.

"Alright, that sounds like a plan. Freeze 'em, Allura!"

As Voltron disassembled momentarily, the Blue Lion began shouting a blue beam of light at all directions, freezing the cloaked bombs as ice appeared to have done from out of nowhere before Shiro spoke.

"Let's move! Form Voltron!"

As Voltron cane together again, the White Voltron took off with it before it fired a beam of light at the bombs, setting them off while taking the Drule cruisers along with them as Jenny spoke.

"See ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!"

"Great work, team. Let's secure Naxzela."

"Right!"

* * *

As Lotor and his generals were in front of the portal, the leader was pondering as to what went wrong while his generals spoke little of him, starting with Ezor.

"Told you so. All Lotor's plans failed."

"He's gonna turn on us as soon as it's in his best interest. We have to strike first."

Kurziam thought differently.

"And why would he do that? It's not as though Zarkon is going to kill us. He just said capture last time I checked."

Ezor saw a silver lining to this.

"Hey, you're right. Maybe it won't be so bad. If we turn him over to Galra Headquarters now, maybe they'll accept us."

"Good plan. But how are we supposed to break the news to him?"

"We don't. We gotta take him down. It's our only chance."

However, Syn had a different plan in mind as he walked toward Lotor. As he did, Narti sensed something in him that made her uneasy.

" _Syn, what are you—"_

Syn paid no mind to her as he drew his sword before he turned to his general as he spoke.

"It's my turn now."

With that, he stabbed Lotor through his side before pulling his luxite sword out as he fell, petrifying the other generals as Zethrid spoke.

"What the quiznak?! Did you just kill him?!"

"No. I studied his life vitals and pressure points. And trust me, I didn't get anywhere near them. I forced him to go unconscious."

Ezor grew curious what about what Syn intends to do.

"And what about us?"

"You guys can do what you want. I've got better things to do."

With that, Syn took off in the first ship, leaving Zethrid, Acxa, Kurziam, Ezor, and the unconscious Lotor stranded on the asteroid with one more ship.

* * *

On Senfama, Keith was having difficulty finding the Zaiforge cannon on Teq.

"Come on! Where is it?"

As Keith found his target, he spoke.

"Found you. Here goes nothin'."

He then pushed the levers forward as he grunted before the Zaiforge cannon shot in that direction while the Coalition cane under attack from the slowly emerging Zaiforge blast on the asteroid. Suddenly, the Zaiforge cannon from Senfama impacted the Zaiforge base, disrupting the weapon and the shields as Varek grew surprised while Matt spoke the good news.

"What the—?!"

"Shield's down, Captain!"

"Alright, let's get control of that cannon!"

The soldier then spoke the bad news.

"Commanders, the rebel fighters are overtaking this cannon."

Varek only smirked at this, as did Vantiv.

"Perfect. They can have it for all we care."

"That just means one more step in our plan."

With that, Varek and Vantiv took off in a black haze, leaving the soldier bewildered as Coran noticed another cannon turning green.

"Zaifirge Cannon Bass is ours!"

Keith and Olia replied to their allies as they spoke.

"Ready to provide the Taujeerians with cover."

"Cannon acquired. Ready to provide backup."

"Copy that. Coalition, you're clear to begin,"

With that, the rest of the Coalition engaged on other planets with the Taujeerians, Balmerans, and Puigians, along with other races, taking back a Drule-occupied planet, leaving only one left: Naxzela. Coran began to get hopeful as his eyes turned to stars while Sapphire and Babak cheered.

"We've almost taken the entire area!"

"Ha-ha! Yes!"

"Go, Voltron!"

Cilia smiled at their luck so far as she spoke.

"Keep it up, Jenny."

As they did so, they grew unaware that Honerva was watching from behind as she smiled at the work her pupil has done.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lotor woke up beside Acxa as they were forced to share some pods since Syn's abandonment. When he moved his hands, he found that he was cuffed as he spoke to Acxa.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

Zethrid spoke first to him before Lotor got suspicious and Ezor gave him the better part of the news.

"I'm sorry, sir. Nothing personal. This is our only way out."

"You plan to give me up."

"No. We're planning on returning you. It's better than what Syn had in mind, considering he just abandoned us. Besides, Zarkon only said capture, not kill. Maybe he just wants you to be safe. Did you ever think about that?"

"I understand, Ezor. You do what you just, and I'll do what I must."

With that, Lotor raised his arms from behind him before breaking his arms as he pulled the cuffs apart and pushed a button to eject Zethrid and himself out of the ship.

"What the—"

As they got ejected, Lotor took the ship's controls before Zethrid ended up beside Acxa as she spoke.

"Well, there goes our plan."

Acxa had an idea why as she secured communications from inside different pods of the ship.

"I'm guessing he's going after Syn first. He doesn't like being betrayed very much."

"What do we do now?"

"There's still one option left."

* * *

At the Castle, the satellite array went online much to Coran's horror.

"Quiznak! The communications satellite is back online. Drule distress calls are going through!"

"It doesn't matter, Coran. They're too late. We've just about secured Naxzela."

* * *

In Kaecilius' cruiser, he smiled as he witnessed the events of Voltron and the White Voltron on Naxzela defeating the Drule army just as Varek and Vantiv appeared with the former giving the news first.

"The cannons have been overrun, and the Coalition has succeeded in taking back their planets."

"Even more interesting is the news that Naxzela is under attack. Voltron and his coalition reclaimed an entire section of the empire."

"Perfect. They've secured their own trap. By the time they realize their folly, it would already be too late..."


	40. A New Defender

**Chapter 39:** The New Defender

At the Castle, Coran noticed the purple lights changing to green as Babak and Honerva accompanied Cilia and Sapphire.

"It appears that all of the planets we've engaged have been pacified, if not totally liberated."

Just then, an alarm went off as it showed a symbol of the Drule which was that of the Galra only without the top spikes on it.

"Wait. There's another Drule battle cruiser approaching Naxzela."

Honerva began to get an uneasy feeling as to who it is.

"Kaecilius. They've got his attention. He must be planning to reclaim Naxzela."

Sapphire then spoke up to Honerva.

"But Voltron can beat him, right?"

"We'll see..."

* * *

Out in space, Matt fired at a Drule army as he gave the all-clear.

"Sector Zar Niomofor is clear. Let me see if I can get a line on that battle cruiser."

As he tried, however, the system shut down on itself before Matt checked on Keith.

"Zaiforge cannon Senfama, are you still operational?"

On Senfama, the same exact problem occurred as Keith and Lapis spoke.

"Negative."

"What's going on?"

Coran had a theory as he spoke.

"That incoming battle cruiser must have shut them down remotely."

"Sorry, Shiro. That's it for artillery support. What should we do about that cruiser?"

"That cruiser's gonna be too late. Naxzela's almost secure. We just need to take out the last of the heavy artillery."

Lapis felt different about it.

"Well, I'm not taking any chances. Kolivan, permission to go after the cruiser and destroy it?"

"Granted. But be swift."

"Got it, sir."

* * *

As Lapis and the Rogue Thrust boarded the Violet Lion and took off for the cruiser, the Voltron Team was preoccupied with Naxzela's forces as a cruiser aimed at the White Voltron and Shiro called out to its Paladins.

"On your left! Shield up!"

On cue, the White Voltron rapidly twirled its dual naginata, blocking the ion cannon before it scattered its beams toward the cruisers behind them and decimated them. For the final push, the White Voltron returned the beam to its sender before it was destroyed. Ayame then spoke to Shiro.

"Thanks, Takashi. That was close."

All the while, Jenny had a bad feeling.

"Anyone else feel this whole thing seems... too easy?"

Lance felt they were having good luck.

"Or maybe we're just that good?"

"Maybe, but the Drule Empire are still Galra. No matter what side, it's 'victory or death'. Unless... guys, I have a feeling there's going to be both."

* * *

On the cruiser, Varek, Vantiv, and Kaecilius watched as the attack continued with the first two speaking.

"I must admit, this is the most devastating attack on the empire in 10,000 years."

"Not to mention we left ourselves vulnerable. And now, we face overwhelming resistance. I trust this plan of yours is worth it?"

Kaecilius replied back with a smirk.

"You are correct to assume so, my love. I have been planning this moment since I've made the swap. At this point, nothing can stop us now."

Vantiv felt there was another concern to worry about.

"And what of Zarkon?"

"Leave him be. As long as he's focused on Lotor, there should be no foreseen threat to us. Stay on course for Naxzela."

* * *

Speaking of Lotor, he set his ship on auto pilot in the far corners of space as he took a breather for a moment before Ezor spoke up.

"Lotor, why can't you just face it?"

Lotor, having been interrupted from his rest, wasn't in the mood to talk.

"I'd rather not."

"Well, why? I mean, your father's no maniac anymore."

"I said I'd rather not. End of discussion. Now, please wake me _only_ when we find Syn."

"But—"

Before Ezor could finish, Lotor cut her off and went back to rest as she grumbled before noticing another ship in front of them as Ezor spoke.

"Lotor. It's Syn."

As he heard this, he saw the ship in front of him before he spoke to her.

"Chart a course for that traitor and stay on him."

With that, Lotor and his men gave chase towards Syn, both of them unaware of a drone on an asteroid beeping rapidly.

* * *

Far away, Zarkon got the message from Zygmar.

"Sire, one of our deep space beacons just registered activity. It's not far from our position."

Zarkon knew what it meant.

"It's Lotor. All fleets head for that beacon."

* * *

As Lotor caught up with Syn, the latter grew angry before noticing the Galra fighters behind him and shot at them, catching Lotor by surprise as he seemed to be caught in a crossfire. When Lotor tried to evade the fighters, Syn took the opportunity to shoot the fighters down with his cannon before Lotor looked at his radar and saw Zarkon and his fleets headed for them as did Syn, who glared at the Galra symbols.

"You'll be burned alive before you ever get me."

With that, Syn took off in a speed of light before Lotor noticed this and growled as he gave chase. In the meantime, Zarkon's forces have determined their location with Zygmar speaking to his emperor.

"They're headed for Nah-veer Five. It's an unstable star."

Zarkon grew worried about what he's planning with that.

"What is he doing? Stay on him."

As Lotor and Syn appeared on Nah-Veer Five, Acxa spoke to him.

"Lotor, what are we doing here? That star is unstable."

"Syn thinks he can scare us off with a few solar flares. He's about to learn how wrong he is."

As the two ships descend near the star, countless Galra fighters explode while Zarkon's cruiser and the two ships giving chase remained intact, albeit with radiated pressure building up on them.

"The radiation is wreaking havoc on our navigation systems."

"We can navigate visually. Stay on him and get the traction beam ready."

As they did so, Syn, Lotor, and the Generals grunted as Zarkon's cruisers blew up from the pressure.

"Cruiser six is down. Squadron Erto is down. Sire, we're too close to the sun. This cruiser cannot handle gravitation this strong."

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long as he spoke.

"Pull back and fire the tractor beam when I say."

As the cruiser went up, Lotor still gave chase towards Syn as they yelled out and pulled up from the star. However, just as the two went up, Zarkon's cruiser caught them in a tractor beam and pulled them up as his commander spoke.

"Our engines have overheated. We cannot pursue until they've stabilized. It will be at least twelve doboshes."

"Get to work on that and find out what the Drules are up to. I wish to have a talk with my son."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaecilius found the right position to carry out his plan and spoke to Varek and Vantiv.

"Stop the ship. Hold this position and come with me. We're close enough to Naxzela now."

As he walked to the chamber, Varek and Vantiv went with him before they stood in a dark purple triangle as Varek spoke.

"Well? Now what?"

"Now... we begin."

As they raised their hands to the ceiling, a dark orb appeared above as dark purple lightning reached to it and fueled the apparition as Kaecilius spoke.

"Light of Omegus, awaken Naxzela now! A cowering god who appeases evil can never prevail!"

With that, the dark orb began pulsing by itself before the bottom section of the cruiser glowed purple as the core of Naxzela, which laid just beneath the planet, did the same.

* * *

Outside in space, Lapis and her team took notice of the event.

"Whoa. What's going on?"

"Beats me. Is it charging a cannon?"

Luzria grew annoyed with Atchiam.

"Not everything involves a weapon, Atchiam."

Then, Adea began to have a theory as she looked back to see Naxzela glowing a bit.

"Wait... maybe it is. What if...?"

As the thought crossed her mind, Adea gasped.

"Oh, no. What if the cruiser's charging a bomb?!"

Luzria felt annoyed with this as well.

"Not you too, Adea."

"No, I'm serious! What if Kaecilius knew ahead of time that we'd pull something like this? What if he had a plan to take all of us down from the start?!"

As Lapis thought more about this, it began to make more sense.

"Wait. You're saying Naxzela's... a bomb?!"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying!"

"If you're right— W-We have to warm them!"

With that, Lapis took off toward Naxzela, hoping to earn them in time just as the earthquake started on the planet as Lance and Pidge spoke.

"Whoa! Did we cause that earthquake?"

"I don't think so!"

As it shook, the planet activated an alarm somehow as Hunk noticed a generator rising while speaking.

"Guys, look over there!"

As the generator rose, countless others rose with it as Lance, Jenny, and Pidge grew worried.

"Uh... guys, what are those?"

"Yeah. They're growing like weeds. And I really hate weeds!"

"We've never seen anything like this from the Galra before."

"Are they weapons?"

"They look like some sort of generators."

Ayame felt they didn't need to stay around to find out.

"Well, either way, I don't think we need to stick around."

Lance can agree with her as he spoke.

"Me neither. I say we get outta here. Pidge, plot a course for our escape."

Shiro felt it wasn't the best idea.

"Hold up. We should find out what these things are."

As Naxzela glowed purple, Lapis tried to call out to the team.

"Guys! Watch out! Get out of here!"

Jenny looked to see Lapis' transmission before it started breaking up.

"Lapis? What's wrong?"

"You need... out of... It's a trap, you guys!"

As Jenny caught this, she gasped before the Altean spoke to the group.

"Guys, we need to go. It's a trap."

However, it was too late as a purple shield began forming from the generators before it covered the whole planet, blocking the Violet Lion from getting in as it shocked them and sent them back to the air as Lapis and her team grunted. Within the shield, Jenny and Allura felt a dark presence as well as dark laughter as Kaecilius' face seems to have appeared via hologram all over the shields, laughing darkly at them as Hunk spoke.

"This can't be safe."

Allura and Jenny are more concerned with the presence that seemed to have overtaken Naxzela and morphed it into his image as it showed Kaecilius' warped face.

"Do you feel that? That wave of darkness?"

"Yeah. I feel it, too. The whole planet is covered in it."

As Jenny got a closer look at the face, she recognized it with a gasp followed by a grunt.

"It's him."

Suddenly, the holograms' eyes began glowing an indigo color before they roared as a sudden pressure came over the Voltrons as the Paladins groaned with Ayame speaking about the situation.

"What's... going... on?!"

"White... can't move!"

"I can't move Red!"

"Yellow won't budge, either."

Suddenly, Voltron fell to its knees and placed its hands in the ground just as the White Voltron followed suit as Pidge spoke.

"This energy field is holding us down! Gravity levels are spiking!"

* * *

At the cruiser, the ritual halted itself with the orb still pulsating as Kaecilius spoke.

"And with that, no rebel will ever live to tell the tale..."

* * *

Shiro spoke to the team as both Voltrons struggled to stand up.

"We have to get out of here! If we stay here, we'll be crushed. Everyone, we have to focus. Give everything you've got, and maybe we can fight through this energy field. Ready?"

"Ready!"

With that, the Voltrons took off in the air only for the hologram to notice and charge a dark purple, ethereal beam from its mouth at them, knocking them back down to the surface on their backs before Hunk spoke.

"Is anyone else able to move around?"

"Barely, but the gravitational pull is worse on Voltron."

As Pidge grunted, Jenny spoke to her.

"What's the plan, Pidge?"

"Maybe if we go down to the surface, Hunk and I can figure out a way to interrupt this energy field."

Lance noticed one minor setback to this.

"That sounds good, except for the zillion robot dudes still lock-in' around down there."

Shiro had a plan to remedy that.

"We're gonna have to stay in tight formation. Watch each other's backs. Let's move!"

As the Paladins got out of their lions, they could only use their jet packs to make small leaps as they took off to the generator panel as the drones fired at them while blocking their fire with their shields as the Paladins huddled together as Shiro spoke.

"Pidge and Hunk, do your thing and do it fast."

As Pidge and Hunk used their gauntlets to unlock the door, Pidge spoke about a detail of the rod they're standing on.

"This rod seems to go all the way down into the planet's core. But I'm not detecting any kind of energy source in the planet that could be causing all of this."

Ayame then turned to her as she spoke.

"Then we'll have to go to the core ourselves to find out."

Suddenly, the door opened as Pidge spoke.

"It's open! Let's go!"

With that, they ran in the door and jumped all the way down into the core as they did a free fall.

* * *

Outside the planet, Lapis was trying to pierce the barrier as it shot an ion cannon from its mouth at the barrier, only for it to have no effect as the hologram still laughed darkly, frustrating her.

"Why won't you shut up?! Stop laughing!"

As Lapis shot at the barrier in evident anger, her team grew worried about the stress she's putting on herself as Adea looked at the emotionally broken Lapis as she shouted.

"I've already lost my home! My family! My mother! What more do you have to take from me before you stop?!"

Adea then suddenly hugged Lapis, catching her off guard before she spoke.

"Please stop hurting yourself like this. The only way we can help is if we stop whoever's doing this."

As Lapis looked at her team, she saw their horror before looking at herself to see her pupils dilated before blinking her eyes to see them back to normal as she sighed.

"Okay, Adea. Sorry I scared you guys."

Luzria felt sorry wasn't good enough.

"Well, you should be! Being that stressed out can't be good for you."

This made Lapis frown before she spoke.

"Okay, we get it. Now, let's head for that cruiser. But we're gonna need help."

* * *

At the core of Naxzela, the Paladins stumbled upon a purple glowing orb before Lance spoke.

"What is that?"

Jenny had a guess.

"Judging from the spooky faces in the sky and that energy we felt, this has Kaecilius written all over it."

"This must be the source."

As they looked around, Shiro noticed the detailing of the structure.

"Allura, this facility, it looks... Altean."

While Jenny grew surprised Allura spoke up.

"What?!"

"I'm afraid you're correct, Shiro. This is a decommissioned Altean terraforming planet. Somehow, Kaecilius has been able to activate it remotely."

"But how? He's not Altean, is he?"

"No. But Honerva was. He must've been taught how to interact with Altean technology before his corruption."

As they stepped closer to the orb, Jenny spoke to her softly.

"Do you think we can shut it down, Allura?"

"We can try."

With that, Jenny and Allura placed their hands near the core, each generating a blue light with the purple light getting close. However, the pulse turned into lightning as Allura and Jenny end up being electrocuted as they screamed with the group getting worried.

"Allura! Jenny!"

As the Paladins tried to pull them out of it, Jenny saw another vision in which Kaecilius' face is bearing a wicked grin within a white background before the scene changed to show Honerva as the empress of the Altean Empire and Jenny being forced to fight her as Honerva spoke with her body growing limp.

 _"Why did you leave me...?"_

After which, the electrocution ended with Allura and Jenny tossed backward as they groaned with Lance helping them up.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. While I was being electrocuted, I got another vision."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Weird, right? Anyway, it's too powerful to try again without being shocked."

Just then, they heard Hunk groaning before they looked toward him as he held up a bit of dust.

"This soil is weird. It's so white and powdery, like ground-up rocks or earth."

As Hunk looked at it through his helmet, he found out the reason for its appearance.

"And heximite!"

Jenny knew all too well what it was.

"Heximite? Oh, no."

Ayame looked at Jenny in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"No wonder it's a trap. This whole planet is a ticking time bomb!"

Suddenly, Drule drones came in and started shooting at the Paladins as Hunk and Shiro spoke.

"It's under increasing pressure, and when the pressure reaches a certain point, it's going to explode."

"How long do we have?"

"About 20 minutes. Anyone within ten solar systems of us is going to get blown to pieces."

Ayame then realized what Kaecilius intended.

"He could take out Voltron, the rebels, and the Blade of Marmora in one fell swoop."

Lance didn't like that as he and Jenny spoke.

"We have to get off this planet and warn everyone!"

"Yeah? Tell them that!"

With that, the Paladins took off to the door and evaded the Drule as they shot at them.

* * *

On Senfama, Keith checked with Coran.

"Coran, are there any targets that need support?"

"I haven't heard of anyone needing help. And that Drule fleet heading towards Naxzela stopped."

"Stopped?"

"Yes. Quite a distance away, too."

Kolivan has an idea about this.

"Perhaps the Drule decided it's too well-fortified to attack."

"'Victory or death' is the Galra way. And the Drule are still Galra. They never stop attaching. Unless... Voltron."

At the mention of this, he got a transmission from the Violet Lion as Lapis spoke to Keith in desperation.

"Keith, this is Lapis. This is a dire situation! Both Voltrons are trapped on Naxzela! Repeat: both Voltrons are trapped on Naxzela! It's going to explode soon, and that cruiser is behind this! Please send help as soon as you can! Please!"

Hearing the panic in Lapis' voice, Cilia and Sapphire grew scared as Honerva and Babak comforted them while Alphus emerged from the hall into the bridge as she spoke.

"What's going on?"

Babak turned to her as he spoke.

"We're just informed that Naxzela's a bomb. And if we don't stop it, we won't survive."

As Alphus widened her eyes, she clenched her hand as she glared at the Drule symbol on the map.

"We won't let this happen."

* * *

Just as Alphus took action, Keith felt the urgency to do so himself.

"I'm gonna help them out. I need a ship."

As he looked out at the landing bay, he noticed a lone fighter by itself as he spoke.

"That'll work."

With that, Keith took off in a fighter as he spread the word.

"Matt, something's wrong. Lapis can't get Voltron out."

"We can fly to Naxzela to check on 'em."

Lapis voted against this strongly.

"No! You need to go as far away from it as you can and destroy that cruiser! You'll die if you don't!"

"What are you talking about?"

Keith explained the situation to Matt.

"Naxzela's a bomb, and if we don't take out that cruiser, it's gonna blow."

"We're with you."

"Copy that. Good to have you along."

Suddenly, Alphus spoke up.

"We're joining you, too. My powers should get us there ahead of you."

Keith, however, voted against this.

"No, stay in position. We might need you back there."

"What about the Coalition? We have to save them at least."

"You can save the ones that are nearby, but don't leave your post."

* * *

At the command center, Zarkon spoke with Lotor and his generals.

"So, those ships what what you were creating behind my back. I wasn't any better back then, but that doesn't make it any less inexcusable. Do you have any idea what Syn could be doing right now?! On another note, a war is going down there. A war that I could've helped in if you didn't go behind my back! Potential lives could be devastated from your actions today."

"You honestly think that was my intention, father? All I wanted was to bring peace to this universe!"

"Well, your own efforts to do so became your undoing!"

As Zarkon sighed, he spoke again.

"Lotor, I'm very well aware that you do not wish to be me, but you must pick your battles. Especially when you're trying to overtake the throne."

This made Lotor raise his eyes in shock as he spoke.

"How did you—"

"Clearly, I placed too much hope on you, Lotor. I won't make that same mistake again."

Suddenly, Zygmar ran in as he spoke.

"Emperor Zarkon!"

Upon noticing him, Zarkon grew flustered.

"What is it that warrants your interruption, Zygmar?!"

"I-It's the Violet Paladin. We received a distress call."

"Play it back."

Zygmar did just that as the distress transmission went in between Lotor and Zarkon.

"If anyone can hear me, I am Lapis, the Violet Paladin of Voltron and leader of Rogue Thrust. In the event you can hear me, a cruiser has trapped Voltron in Naxzela and turned the planet into a bomb. I need your help. Voltron needs your help! Please, help save him before it's too late!"

As the transmission finished with Lotor and his generals showing concern, Ezor, Acxa, and Zethrid most of all, Zygmar spoke to him.

"If it explodes, it'll take 10 solar systems and all of the rebellion with it."

"So, Naxzela's... an oversized bomb?"

"Yes, Ezor. And like he said, if it explodes..."

"Boom. That is the first time in a while that there's an explosion I don't want to see."

"How long do they have?"

"Sad to say, we only have 18 doboshes, sir."

This made Zarkon flustered as he yelled and slammed his fist on the throne.

"We don't have that kind of time! We must leave now!"

"But sir, the engines are still overheated. At this rate, we won't get to Voltron in time."

Then, Lotor spoke up, presenting a solution to the conundrum.

"I can get there, father."

"What?"

"My ship is capable of getting there in time to destroy that cruiser and disrupting the countdown."

"And how do I know if you won't escape after?"

"Even if I did, you found me once. Odds are, you'll find me again."

Zarkon couldn't trust Lotor after what he's pulled, but there wasn't any other choice.

"Fine. But please... keep them all safe."

* * *

On Naxzela, the Paladins went inside the Voltrons before Shiro spoke.

"Coran, Keith, Lapis, do you copy? Anyone? Hello!"

As he got no answer, he knew what it meant.

"We've lost communications. Pidge, can you boost our signal?"

"No, there's too much electrostatic repulsion!"

As the Paladins grew frustrated, Jenny and Allura grew desperate while Hunk gave out the time left.

"Seventeen minutes left!"

"Well, forget the communications for now. I say we book it!"

"We have to get out of this planet immediately!"

With that, both Voltrons stood up on their feet before the hologram took notice and fired another ethereal blast at them with a roar, knocking them further to the ground in a crater as Lance, Jenny, Hunk, and Pidge spoke.

"Oh, no! We've fallen even further down!"

"Seriously?! I hate that thing!"

"Fifteen minutes!"

"No. No! We can't die here. Not yet."

* * *

As Kaecilius witnessed it himself, he felt it fitting to deliver a message as he spoke.

"Vantiv, deliver my message to our citizens."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

With that, Kaecilius' face appeared over the same transmission that came from the rebel transponder as he spoke.

"Attention, mortal rebels of the universe. Thus far, you've clung to your deluded beliefs and dreams that divine justice shall be undercut from its place. But know this: it is in vain. Witness the fate that will befall you."

With that, the monitors showed both Voltrons trapped on Naxzela as he spoke with Coran, Babak, Alphus, Cilia, and Sapphire becoming worried, Lapis and her Rogue Thrust darting rowers the cruiser with the leader having a sad and desperate face with tears streaming as Adea comforted her, and Lotor and his generals darting towards Naxzela with fierce determination.

"Even now, your precious Defender of the Universe is realizing the gravity of the situation, so to speak. Like you, it is not infallible: for it is just as mortal and fragile as you are! To all of the simpletons who dare oppose me, your heroes are dead! Your hope is dead! And after today, only I shall live on! Divine justice shall win this day! For today, Voltron, your Defender of the Universe, dies with your hope! If you wish to be spared, you will _kneel_! FOR I AM YOUR TRUE GOD!"

* * *

Back on Naxzela, Shiro has one last ditch idea to escape.

"Listen. We've come through a lot as Voltron. We just have to think."

Then, Lance remembered what Jenny and Allura did before on the Balmera and other scenarios as his transmission cane on the White Voltron's monitor.

"Jenny..."

"Huh? Lance?"

"You and Allura felt the dark energy when it first started. You two have a connection to this magic. I know you can get us out of this somehow. We all saw what you guys did on the Balmera and how you power the Castle."

"I admit that's impressive what I did, but how are we supposed to help?"

"I've never been trained."

"And I haven't finished my training yet. I don't think I'll ever get the chance..."

"No one trained you to save the Balmera, but you guys did that. I know you can do it. There's a reason the White and Blue Lions chose you. Alongside Ayame, you're the one who brought everyone together. You can do this. Every moment we've had together, they've all led to this day. This is your destiny. You are the heart of Voltron. Well, outside the obvious."

This made Jenny gasp before she smiled with tears coming down her face as she spoke.

"Thank you, Lance. So much..."

With that, she wiped her tears away before she and Allura spoke.

"Let's do this."

"I'll try."

As the both of them closed their eyes, took their deep breaths, and clutched their levers, Allura and Jenny spoke as Ayame took her own breath to join in.

"Help me, father."

"I can't do this alone."

Just then, Ayame placed her hand on Jenny's as she spoke.

"You won't have to. We're in this together."

With that, the two Voltrons began glowing Quintessence all around them as Shiro spoke.

"It's working!"

As they went up in the skies, with Voltron having a light-blue color around it while the White Voltron had a color of white and purple on each half with light and shadow in harmony, the hologram noticed before firing an ethereal beam, only for the White Voltron to fire a blue-purple blast from its chest, countering it before it damaged the hologram with a crack before the Voltrons went and fired a blast at the barrier, breaking it before they got out of the hole. Having escaped, Jenny spoke to him.

"Thank you, Lance."

"That was all you."

Then, Hunk reminder everyone of the current issue.

"We still need to defuse that bomb!"

Ayame was concerned about something else.

"And we need to get everyone out of here!"

Jenny had an idea as her eyes glowed bright-blue, surprising Ayame.

"Leave that to me."

"Jenny, how are you glowing?"

Jenny noticed that herself and grew surprised.

"Wow. I guess I really focused my Quintessence. Now, we can put it to good use."

"What's the plan?"

"Voltron will go to that cruiser and smash it before Naxzela goes kablooey. We're gonna try to evacuate everyone off the system in case they can't."

"Alright. I'm in."

With that, the White Voltron extended its hand outward to create a wormhole before entering it just as the portal closed, leaving Lance to feel proud.

"That's my girl."

* * *

In the meantime, Shiro spoke to Keith.

"Keith, can you hear me?"

"Shiro! Where are you? Is everything okay?"

"Not for long if we don't stop Kaecilius. He must be aboard that battle cruiser."

"I'm way ahead of you. And I brought some backup."

Keith demonstrated this as he showed the Violet Lion beside the Coalition.

"Rogue Thrust is on the way."

"Rebel force is en route."

"Good to have Voltron back in the fight."

* * *

As they got to the cruiser, Kaecilius snarled before turning to Varek.

"Clearly, a pest control is required. Varek, will you attend do do duty?"

"Yes."

* * *

As Varek stepped outside and ended up on top of the extension, Olia and Matt grew surprised by the size of it and its attachment.

"What the ruggle is that?"

"It looks like some sort of weapon attached to the cruiser. And... Varek?"

Varek then got out his aura blade before plunging it into his hand with a chuckling groan before he yelled out with the blade extending itself before using his other hand to grip it and create a scythe, catching Olia and Matt by surprise.

"Did you just see that?!"

"Did he really create a scythe?"

"This is it, mortals. For the sake of our most glorious project..."

With that, he pulled the scythe back behind him before he shouted.

"YOU WILL DIE TODAY!"

Suddenly, with a shout, he performed a slash that extended itself as a blast at the same speed as the ion cannon before it tore at the ships in its path, triggering an explosion before Olia spoke.

"Evasive maneuvers!"

As they dodged, Atchiam glared at him.

"Oh, no. You're not getting off easy."

* * *

Then, Shiro spoke to Coran.

"Coran, you need to get as far away from Naxzela as you can immediately. Pick up any members of the coalition who are nearby, but go."

Coran knew the reason via distress transmission from Lapis as he spoke.

"Already on it. But what about you?"

Allura spoke to him next.

"We'll stop it if we can, but we need you to do this."

"Yes, Princess."

With that, Coran finished the transmission before Lance and Hunk spoke.

"Thrusters are at max power!"

"I sure hope we make it in time."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame and Jenny sent the last of the Coalition back to the Castle hall where Honerva accompanied them as the latter spoke.

"Well, looks like that's everyone. Let's join the others."

"Okay."

With that, the White Lion opened a portal and went inside it before Keith spoke to them.

"Follow my lead! We've got to break through that shield!"

Suddenly, Varek's scythe blast hit the wing before it disintegrated it, making the ship lean on one side before he got himself together as Ayame spoke from in the wormhole.

"Keith! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little unbalanced."

* * *

With that, Naxzela prepared to detonate as Lance spoke.

"We're not gonna make it!"

As it prepared to explode, Babak saw the scan of it and held Sapphire right as she whimpered.

"Please hurry, Princess."

* * *

At the battle, Varek used his scythe slash to attack the other ships as Matt and Ayame spoke.

"We'll never penetrate those shields!"

"Just hang on, guys. We're on our way."

Keith felt there wasn't enough time. And with Varek slashing at the ships, he didn't want to risk Ayame and Jenny being hurt, or worse. He knew there was one thing he could do.

"Maybe not with our weapons."

With that, he darted toward the shield himself, making Matt and Ayame worried.

"Wait, Keith, what are you doing?! Keith, no!"

"Keith, stop! We can do this!"

"There isn't enough time! I'm sorry, but I have to do this! I can't let you get hurt!"

"No, don't! Jenny, can't you go any faster?!"

"I'm trying! But this is as fast as I can go, even with that boost!"

As she tried to boost the White Voltron, Ayame continued in vain to reach out to him.

"You can't do this to me, Keith! I've already lost so much! I can't lose you, too!"

"I can't lose you, either, Ayame. Goodbye."

With that, Keith shut off the transmission as she shouted with tears streaming down her desperate face.

"NO!"

Just as Keith prepared for the end, however, a blast from a certain ship pierced through the attachment, triggering an explosion and knocking Varek off of it as Keith pulled back before the former noticed the ship that did it and its pilot as he glared.

"You."

Seeing the face of the adversary, Varek teleported back inside the cruiser. As he arrived inside, the orb dissipated as Vantiv and Kaecilius witnessed this on the monitor as the former spoke.

"No. Lotor disabled the countdown."

This made Kaecilius widen his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance... retreat!"

With Kaecilius and his army quickly vanishing from sight via hyperdrive just as the White Voltron arrived, Jenny's glow faded away before she sighed, just as she noticed that they had retreated already.

"Hey, where'd the bad guys go?"

* * *

At the Castle, Coran gave the good news.

"Naxzela is returning to normal! You did it!"

Shiro then congratulated Keith about the victory.

"Good work, Keith."

"It wasn't me. It was Lotor. The cannon on his ship was the blue thing powerful enough to take down that shield."

As Jenny got back in the White Voltron via teleportation, she got surprised.

"Lotor did that? But why?"

Ayame had an idea.

"Maybe my father found him and set him straight?"

"Nah. The last time we saw him officially, he stabbed us in the back and tried to take the comet for himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he had an ulterior motive."

Then, she realized something about Ayame that tied her to Lotor.

"Wait a tick. Lotor's... kinda your brother, isn't he?"

"Well, half-brother, but yes."

"Oh. Well, if you're willing to trust him, I'll try that, too."

"Thanks."

Then, Lotor sent up a transmission just as Ezor, Acxa, and Zethrid did the same with the Violet Lion, attracting Rogue Thrust's attention.

"Ezor! Oh, it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

Ezor could only reply sarcastically to Adea as she spoke.

"Yeah. I really... missed you."

Then, Ezor did a small smile to her just as Atchiam spoke up.

"Hey, Zeth."

"How's it hangin'?"

"Well, so far so good, since you guys just literally knocked Varek off of the extension."

"Yeah. That was my favorite part."

Then, Lapis spoke up.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We picked up your distress transmission. And apparently, we got it just in time."

Then, Lotor spoke out to the remaining group.

"Attention, Paladins of Voltron, Blades of Marmora, and rebel fighters. I know we've had our differences in the past, but... I think it is time we had a discussion."

Jenny still wasn't quite convinced of his act.

"And how is this discussion gonna end this time?"

"With our unconditional surrender."

This made Jenny widen her eyes as he spoke.

"It's become painfully obvious I cannot run anymore. So, I've come to accept my fate, whatever it may be. What say you? What do you have in store for me?"

Jenny considered all the actions he took leading up to now for his goal before she answered.

"Well... everything that comes with being a rebel."


	41. The Prodigal Son

**Chapter 40:** The Prodigal Son

A month after Voltron captured Lotor and thwarted Kaecilius for the time being, Shiro spoke to the others as the six lions converged on a weaponized purple-red moon.

"That's our target, the moon of Tragoch."

Jenny grew confused about its importance as she spoke.

"What's the big deal with this thing again?"

Allura took the liberty of answering her question.

"According to our latest intelligence, that's where the Drule are building their new upgraded sentries."

"Taking out this base will mean the Drule won't be able to resupply their bases and ships for months."

Jenny, considering what the past experience with said intelligence led them to, felt unsure about the legitimacy.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?"

Ayame eased her worries as she spoke.

"All the intel's checked out so far. Everything's exactly how we were told it'd be. Including preparing us for those!"

Suddenly, small seeker drones emerged from the planet and went after the lions before Pidge spoke to Allura.

"Allura, I'm sending you the signals to interfere with the drones."

"Signal acquired. Broadcasting."

With that, the Blue Lion got a sonic wave machine and fired the soundwaves at the drones, shutting them down with the signal Pidge gave her before Shiro spoke.

"Now let's take them out before they recalibrate and report our approach."

"You got it, jefe."

With that, the six lions got their jaw blades and destroyed the seekers before focusing on entry as Shiro spoke.

"Form up on me. We're going in."

As they went in the thin vents of the planetary factory, Shiro reminded the team of the time they have.

"We only have five minutes before the Drule base realizes their drones aren't responding. Be careful to stay in formation, and don't touch the sides!"

As the lions flew through the vent, Hunk was pressuring himself.

"Don't touch the side. Don't touch the side. Don't touch the side. Don't touch the side."

However, in pressuring himself, he lost control and nicked a side of the vent just before lava came after them.

"Uh-oh!"

As Hunk flew away, he looked in time to see Pidge before colliding into her.

"Hunk!"

"I think I may have nicked the side a little bit."

Allura has an idea to remedy this as she spoke.

"Let me through!"

With that, she fired an ice blast at the lava, holding it on place before it began cracking to pieces.

"We'd better hurry. That patch won't last long."

At the facility's hold, Komar oversaw the construction of the upgraded sentries, still certain that a particular Defender of the Universe would interfere.

"With this many sentries, I hardly believe Voltron would turn his back on this."

The commander in charge disagreed.

"Nonsense. If Voltron didn't know about this before, why would he appear now?"

"Because it's only a matter of time."

Komar couldn't be more right as the alarm went off with it detailing the source of the commotion.

"We're under attack!"

As they saw the lions, Komar still maintained his dismal look while the commander grew surprised.

"It's Voltron!"

"You were saying?"

"All forces, prepare for enemy assault. This is not a drill."

As the Drule soldiers readied themselves, the patch Allura made shattered before the lava flowed again. As the lions tried to escape, the lava went faster, catching up to them quickly with Hunk panicking.

"The lava's gaining on us! We can't outrun it!"

Jenny then spoke to Allura for good news.

"How much further, Allura?"

"We should be directly underneath the Drule base."

Seeing a hole up ahead, Shiro knew what it meant as far as escape.

"There's an opening up ahead. Follow me!"

As they got out of the hole, the Lions went up another, only for the lions to be trapped with the lava rising to them as Lance spoke.

"Oh, no! We're trapped!"

Shiro wasn't willing to give up yet.

"No, we're not! There's another way out! Form Voltron!"

With that, the five lions combined into Voltron before the White Lion transformed itself. On the monitors, the commander spoke to his men.

"Stand down. Voltron is no more."

Komar knew better than that.

"I wouldn't count on it. Three, two, one..."

As soon as he finished counting, the two Voltrons emerged and revealed themselves as Shiro spoke.

"Take down the factory machines!"

As Voltron fired a blast at the machines, the White Voltron fired blasts at the sentries before they evaporated. As the destruction took place, the commander was forced to retreat.

"We have to get out of here! To the escape pods!"

As they ran, Komar was displeased as he pulled out a container of Chaotic Quintessence.

"Tch! So much for 'victory or death'. No matter. I've got what I came for."

With that, Komar vanished in a dark mist before the base exploded with both Voltrons safely evacuated.

* * *

At the Castle, which laid on the surface of Naxzela, Hunk commented on the info their intelligence gave them.

"Oh, man! Going on missions is a lot easier when somebody gives you all the information you need before you get there."

Lance felt he could've done better.

"And yet, you still managed to run your lion into a wall."

"Yeah, information is one thing. Ability is something completely different."

Alphus then spoke up.

"Well, either way you look at it, we haven't encountered a single problem since Naxzela."

Allura, Pidge, and Jenny gave their own two cents about it.

"I must admit, we took down a vital target today."

"And we made it look pretty easy, except for the getting buried in lava part."

"Yeah. That one was kinda embarrassing."

Given their luck so far, Ayame had an idea form in her head.

"It may be time to consider taking the next step."

However, Allura felt just as suspicious about this as Jenny was.

"I'm still not comfortable with this. It just doesn't feel right."

"That makes two of us. The last time we trusted him, he took off with half a comet and hurt our friends. How do we know he isn't up to something?"

Ayame then spoke to Jenny as the two stood up.

"If his word is any indication like the info, I'd like to believe that Lotor and I are after the same thing."

"Yeah. But at what cost?"

* * *

Later, Jenny, Ayame, Allura, and Shiro went down to the lower levels before the last of the four spoke to him.

"Your intel checked out."

"You still feign surprise."

Jenny raised an eyebrow at this as she spoke.

"Same goes for you, too."

"But of course. All of the information I've given, proven correct. Every target I've provided, easily dispatched. Yet, you still look at me—"

"As the first guy who pulls the trigger? Yeah, that sums it up."

"Can people not change? Is it so hard to believe that I wish to return the Galra Empire to a bygone era of peace?"

"Coming from you? Yeah."

This earned Ayame's clearing throat before Jenny remembered her promise to Ayame.

"Then again, your father did let you help us. Once. So that's gotta mean something for him to let you help, I guess."

"I wouldn't blame him. Our fathers were friends once, long ago. There must be hope for us."

Shiro then spoke up in Jenny's place.

"I guess we still need convincing."

Ayame then walked up as she spoke with him.

"I've been told, in the Weblum, that you were trying to bring peace to the universe. Is that anything to go by?"

"The facts speak for themselves. The Galra Empire is completely reliant on Quintessence. Serve that need peacefully, and you have a complete paradigm shift, a new dawn for the old empire."

Jenny scoffed at this.

"Funny. That's exactly what your father wanted. And look what happened to him."

"Yes. He's back on his throne, determined to set things right for the wrongs he committed, just like you claimed. Is this not accurate?"

This stunted Jenny, giving her no material to counter and forcing her to concede.

"Oh, alright then."

"My plan from the beginning has been to find a way to harvest Quintessence without resorting to the barbarism of the Komar. Extracting Quintessence from entire planets at the cost of every living thing? I think not."

Understanding the way Lotor thought, Jenny also understood why he tricked them.

"Is that why you tricked us into getting the comet for you?"

"Only Voltron and its counterparts could retrieve the trans-reality comet. So, yes, I'm afraid I had to be a bit duplicitous in effecting its retrieval, although we saw how well it turned out in the end, thanks in part to your quick-thinking."

"You're darn right, it is. And if we died, would that have even mattered to you?"

"It was a calculated risk, I admit that. But I knew they'd come through without a scratch. And since recovering a half of the comet, I haven't been in the least bit aggressive."

Allura then pondered about a missing general of his.

"What about Syn? Why haven't we seen him?"

"I'm afraid he's the one who acted aggressively. Before father captured me, he betrayed me and took one of my ships. When I heard you were in the Ulippa system at that point, I had to help. What would I gain by fighting you? My sole focus has been finding a way to enter the zone between realities."

Hearing this, Jenny felt it to be so familiar.

"Hmm. You must love making history repeat itself."

Ayame caught her tone and spoke.

"Jenny!"

"It was _your_ predecessor who led the scientific exploration that discovered Quintessence. An exploration, I might add, that resulted in the creation of Voltron."

"And set Omegus free! If that meteor didn't crash, this whole mess wouldn't be happening right now!"

"This isn't a zero-sum game. Meeting the needs of the Galra Empire means bringing peace to the universe. That is the future enlightenment brings us, one of prosperity for all."

"Even if we do give them Quintessence, odds are, they'll still be just as evil as they were 10,000 years ago! People can't change that easily!"

"Such a hypocrite coming from you, Jennifer. You've already changed since we last met."

As Jenny growled and tensed her hands, she caught a deep breath before glaring at him calmly as she spoke.

"Yeah. I have. Wanna guess who's to blame?"

"I saved your lives and the lives of all your comrades. I have given you target after target in the Drule Empire, and all of them have been dismantled or destroyed at no cost of life to you."

"And I'm grateful for that. But as much as I want to trust you again... I just can't. I mean, I really want to, but I can't. I was the first person to trust you when we met, and then you stabbed me in the back. So you'll understand when I say I'm not interested in any alliance with you just yet. I'm just not ready."

Lotor held his head down as he spoke.

"I understand, Jennifer. But all I ask is to be judged for my actions rather than your preconceptions of my race. If that is beyond you, then perhaps you should just finish me and get it over with."

"First off, That's what I've been doing this whole time. And second, I won't. Your father would want you alive. That's the only reason you're still breathing right now. Well, that, and I'm trying really hard to forgive you, so try not to make it worse."

"If that's your attitude, Jennifer, then clearly, you are not ready to end this war."

That struck a nerve in Jenny as she snapped at him with a yell and banged on the barrier, forcing him back.

"You don't know what you're talking about, buster!"

Ayame then gripped Jenny's shoulder as she spoke.

"Easy, Jenny. Calm down."

As Jenny took a deep breath, Ayame spoke onward to her.

"Maybe you should go take a walk for a bit."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll do that, as long as I don't have to see _him_ for a while. Better yet, I'll go talk to someone I can actually count on. For the record, Ayame, I wasn't talking about you. You're still cool."

As Jenny walked away, Shiro spoke.

"We're done here, too. You coming, Ayame?"

"Actually... you guys go on ahead. I'll be okay."

With that, Shiro and Allura followed Jenny, leaving Ayame alone with Lotor before she turned to her half-Brother.

"Jenny's really trying, you know."

"Well, her actions would say otherwise."

"I guess that's one thing you guys can agree on. And it's not her fault. Jenny's just... well, she's been through a lot those past couple of years. So, you can see the reservations for yourself."

"Worse yet, if this barrier wasn't in the way, I would've felt them, too."

This made Ayame giggle a bit before she cleared her throat.

"Anyway, with what you've done for us so far, for what it's worth, I trust you. And I really hope we can make that peace happen."

Lotor smiled gratefully at Ayame before he spoke.

"Well, that makes two of us."

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Kaecilius entered a lab as he growled at Komar and removed his cloak to expose his upper body, which was suitably physical, even for a dark mage of the Drules.

"Komar... is the formula ready yet?"

"Just finishing up. Before Voltron interfered, I managed to get one last existing vial of Chaotic Quintessence left over from the battle at the quantum abyss, the contents of which are founded and sealed by the base's commander. It's a miracle there was any left."

"Good. Now, inject the dosage."

As he turned to Kaecilius, Komar felt unsure about whether it was the right choice.

"Are you certain? This Chaotic Quintessence hasn't even ripened yet."

Kaecilius only repeated his request loudly.

"Give it to me now! Or I will see to it that you will be a literal stain of this cosmos!"

Given the severity of the demands, Komar could only comply with it.

"A-As you wish."

With that, Komar added the canister of the Chaotic Quintessence into his siphon before firing a blast at Kaecilius, granting him a dark red aura over his body before he groaned with his body growing in size before his arm that held its hand out for the blast become corroded and the skin that reached for it turned to dust and was replaced with a red and black Quintessential structure over half of his body, before his eyes glowed dark red from the intake of the dark substance as he yelled out.

* * *

At the Castle, Lance went to the bridge to speak with Allura.

"Princess? The meeting's about to start."

"I'm almost ready. If I'm expected to lead this, I need to know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, but no one expects you to memorize everything. We can have a script-screen for you, or you could just jot some notes down on the inside of your hand. I mean, I do it all the... uh, time."

When he paused to look at his hand, Allura turned to Lance as she spoke.

"Really, Lance? I doubt even Jenny would find that funny."

"I'm kidding! Wait, now that you mention it, where's Jenny? I haven't seen her since she went with you guys to check on Lotor."

"She's training with Honerva again. Although, I'd say she's mostly using that time to talk about Lotor. After all, he is Honerva's son."

* * *

At the core of Naxzela, Jenny spoke with Honerva about the doldrums of having him around as she spoke.

"I mean, the guy talks about bringing peace to the Galra Empire with Quintessence, but all I'm hearing is just that: Quintessence. It can't be the answer to everything, right? If it were that simple, we would've had world peace a long time ago, let alone universal."

"Yes, Jenny. I worry for Lotor as well. But we must give him time to be accustomed to this."

"Like he's gonna care. He did stab us in the back."

"As did his father toward the other Paladins. But he's beyond that now. And we have you to thank for that."

As nice as it was to hear this, Jenny got confused by her meaning of it.

"Thanks, but what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Zarkon only came back to his senses because he had someone to help him stray from the corrupted path he carved. It's high time Lotor had someone to help him."

"What? You mean me? No way! After what he put me through, what he put all of us through, you expect me to be around him?! We don't know what he'll do to us if he gets the chance!"

"Which is precisely why you will accompany him. During the days of war, Zarkon learned a great virtue. In fact, it's what brought the original Paladins together long before the comet ever landed on Daibazaal. Keep your allies close, and your enemies closer."

"Yeah, well, no offense, but the only virtue that matters to me right now is to remember who made the deal. Because a deal is only as good as the man who makes it."

Just then, Pidge spoke up to her via gauntlet.

"Jenny, everybody's ready and waiting for you and Honerva."

"We're on our way."

* * *

Later, Allura spoke with the coalition that included Sneren, Vrathrea, Kolivan, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis among the Blade of Marmora and the other planets.

"As of today, our rebel forces have taken control of one-third of the accumulate of the Drule and Galra Empires. With Zarkon on our side, we greatly outnumber the Drules with three-quarters of the universe free. But we cannot grow complacent. The Drule Empire is now backed into a corner, which will make them most dangerous. However, the tide is changing."

One of the leaders that commented on her appearance at the time of Ayame and Shiro's disappearance spoke to her.

"The rebel coalition is winning because of you, Princess Allura. You and the Voltron Force. Mere cycles ago, I felt that my race would breathe its last in Galra chains, but then Voltron appeared in the horizon and our lives changed forever!"

"This bid for liberty is only possible because of all of our sacrifices. And we still have a long way to go before the entire universe is free."

"We'll be behind you every step of the way."

"Thank you. We will reconvene soon. Until then."

With that, the leaders went away before the blades were shown front and center.

"Did you complete the raids on the targets we sent you on our last communication?"

Sneren answered as Ayame looked up to Keith before they smiled at each other.

"Yes. The information we've received from Lotor and his generals has consistently checked out, in spite of difficulties."

To demonstrate said difficulties, Atchiam fired a green glob at Slav's mouth, who exclaimed before swallowing it and grumbling as she called out to Adea.

"Direct hit! I repeat, direct hit!"

"Did you see that?!"

Sneren groaned at this while Vrathrea smiled before Pidge spoke.

"With all these successful missions taking place in such a short period of time, it won't be long until the Drule realizes we're using Lotor, assuming they haven't suspected already."

"That's true. We should expect the enemy to change protocol soon."

Lance felt time is of the essence.

"Then we need to act fast and hit as many targets as possible."

Jenny knew that they wouldn't have the time even if they started. The only option to guarantee peace is to... As much as she detested the thought, it was the only play where they can solve this efficiently. With that, Shiro spoke up.

"We'll talk to Lotor and see if there's anything else he can give us."

Jenny then volunteered to fill in that position.

"Actually... I'll go talk with him."

Allura felt unsure about this considering what happened last time.

"Are you sure? You're not going to blow your temper at him?"

"I can't make any promises, but if there's one thing Honerva taught me, its to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Still, I can't help but think we're being used for whatever he has in mind. But so what? All the more reason to check on him myself."

* * *

Later, Ayame accompanied Jenny to ensure she doesn't blow her stack again.

"Every lead I've provided you so far has been unerring, exact, and relatively easy to accomplish. Anything I would give you now would be somewhat more... perilous in nature."

"How perilous are we talking?"

"I have some information that I believe you would consider important on a more personal level. There is a prison, formerly under my control. It houses a special inmate."

Keeping in mind about what Honerva told her, she was all in this time.

"For once, I'm listening."

* * *

At a distant plant, Nyma spoke to Pidge and Matt.

"Thank you for helping us get the fleet back in order. They were pretty banged up after the invasion."

"No problem."

"We rebooted the entire targeting system in this one. Pidge wrote a patch that will increase accuracy by a power of three."

"Yeah, well, Matt overhauled the thrusters on this one. It can pull out of a six-g dive and not lose thrust."

"That's Newton's gravitational constant, of course."

"Duh. What would she think. 9.8 meters per second squared?"

The genius siblings laughed at this before Matt spoke.

"But we saved our best work for last."

With that, he introduced Beezer with a new upgrade for his legs, as well as some polish on his chest plate, making Nyma excited.

"He looks brand-new! I can see myself in his chest plate."

Suddenly, Rolo exited his ship before speaking to the Green Paladin.

"Pidge, you got a message incoming."

* * *

At the ship, Pidge saw Shiro, Jenny, Allura, and Ayame as she spoke.

"Hey, guys."

Jenny waved to her as she spoke back.

"Hey, Pidge."

Seeing Shiro, Ayame, and Allura's looks of seriousness meant that something was in the horizon as she spoke with them.

"Is something wrong?"

Shiro answered first.

"We have a lead on Commander Holt. Your father."

"Our father?"

"Lotor gave us information on his whereabouts."

"Where is he?"

Seeing the panic in Pidge's voice, Jenny spoke up.

"Well, the good news is, he's at a remote prison. Very easy to break out. Bad news is, they're about to move at any time soon. Ayame and I can meet you guys as soon as the transmission is over, then we can all go."

Knowing how much time is left, Pidge spoke differently after looking to Matt.

"Send us the coordinates."

With that, they ran as Ayame spoke.

"Pidge, Matt! You can't go without backup!"

Rolo eased her worries as she spoke.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll make sure they got the backup they need."

Beezer buzzed for reassurance as Jenny blinked her eyes.

"Huh. I guess we're good, then. Make sure to bring them back safe, okay? I'm looking at you, Nyma."

Seeing Jenny's stank eyes, Ayame grew confused before she turned to Shiro.

"What exactly happened between them?"

"You have no idea."

* * *

In the Green Lion, Pidge held her head down with Matt, Rolo, Beezer, and Nyma accounted for before her brother comforted her.

"What if something's happened to him, Matt? W-What if—?"

"We're gonna bring Dad back, I promise."

As Pidge still felt unsure, they got closer to an asteroid with Galra structure before she and Rolo spoke.

"Approaching the prison."

"This place is gonna have security. We're gonna go headfirst into that?"

"That's why we've got cloaking."

However, once they passed the small drones, they activated a barrier before the Green Lion lost its cloaking.

"How did it detect us?"

"That doesn't sound good."

Pidge can see Rolo's point as she spoke.

"We've hit some sort of barrier! We've lost cloaking!"

Then, Beezer buzzed in a panic before the Drule fighters emerged toward them.

"Drule fighters on intercept course!"

As they shot out their weapons at the Green Lion, Pidge took evasive action before firing a blast at one of the fighters before Pidge was forced to try an alternative as the lion dove down to the surface.

"Change of plan! Im going to have to drop you off! Hold on!"

With that, the Green Lion went into its belly before Rolo, Matt, Nyma, and Beezer jumped off of it with Pidge speaking softly as she saw them dive.

"Go get him, Matt."

As Pidge occupied the fighters, Matt spoke to the group.

"Everybody, fire jet packs!"

With that, Rolo, Beezer, and Nyma activated their devices while Matt was having difficulty with his.

"Uh... uh... Something's wrong! My pack's not working!"

"Matt!"

With that, he got into a free fall as he screamed and flailed before Beezer took action as he summoned two new arms and gripped him as they touched down on the ground with Matt panting before Nyma spoke.

"You know you can let go of him now."

"I'd rather not."

* * *

Later, they got to the entrance of the prison, where they found destroyed soldiers with purple, glowing marks near the lacerations. A clean cut to be sure. Rolo felt it odd as he surveyed the damage.

"No guards."

Matt felt it was a coy.

"Security and defense systems alum this prison are completely automated. Override codes should shut everything down."

Nyma felt it unnecessary.

"Uh, looks like everything is already shut down."

"What's going on?"

* * *

As they entered the prison, Pidge evaded the fighters until a blast hit the Green Lion, making her grunt before she spoke.

"Come on, girl!"

With that, she summoned an overgrowth blaster before it hit one fighter and got it tangled in vines before she was forced to take evasive action again.

"Stay with me, Green!"

As she took necessary action, she dodged a fighter before clamping its jaws on it and tossed it at the other. Just when she thought she could catch a break, however, more of them arrived as the alarm beeped. As they shot at her, she charged away from them and took cover.

* * *

Inside the prison, Matt saw more dismantled guards with the same ethereal cut before they proceeded and entered a room adjacent to them. As they did, they saw the prisoners minding their own business before Rolo crawled in the ground. However, he noticed a prisoner right in front of him before he chuckled embarrassedly and the prisoner started to panic before Nyma got him and placed her hand over his mouth. However, the action she took drew the wrong attention as they gasped. Realizing the situation, Rolo tried to calm them down.

"Everyone, relax."

"Don't hurt us!"

Nyma then explained themselves to help it along.

"No one's here to hurt you."

"You're not with the scary man that carries a sword?"

Rolo spoke up before thinking about the figure.

"We're here to rescue you. Wait, what scary man?"

"He told us to stay inside. If we went out, we'd be hurt."

Nyma took her turn next as Matt looked for his father, with no luck.

"Well, no one is here now. Come on, we're leaving."

However, Matt grew worried as he didn't notice his father.

"Is this everyone?"

"No. There are others back in the cells."

With that, Matt headed to the cells as Rolo spoke.

"Everybody, hurry up and come with us."

As they went with him, Matt was focused on finding him.

"Hello? Dad? Dad, are you here?"

He only found aliens that looked nothing like Sam Holt as he pressed on and passed the crowd.

"Has anyone here seen Sam Holt? A human like me. Is— Is there another human here?"

As he looked in all of the doors with a lack of San Holt's presence, one thing became clear to him: Sam Holt was already gone.

* * *

At the prison entrance, Nyma spoke to Pidge, who was having difficulty with the fighters at the moment.

"Pidge, we're ready for pickup."

"I can't come get you! It's still too hot!"m if I fly down to pick you up, I'll be leading all of these ships there. You'll be sitting ducks! We're gonna have to come up with some other way to get the scientists off the planet."

This made Rolo have an idea as he spoke.

"Pidge, what if I brought the group to you?"

"And how are we gonna do that?"

"I've got an idea. Follow me."

Later, they were all inside a Drule pod before a prisoner voiced her doubts.

"These pods are only meant to carry five passengers. We'll be lucky to break through the atmosphere."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

With that, the pod activated as Nyma and Beezer waited for them.

"Come on, Matt. Where are you?"

Beezer's buzzing indicates Matt was closing in. It was when she noticed his dismal look as he spoke.

"Let's go."

"But where's—?"

"Let's go!"

As Nyma gave a sad look, having figured out what must've happened, they went in before the pod took off with Rolo pushing its engines to outside of the planet. As he did, however, the engines were overworking themselves and burning out as the prisoners whimpered with Matt speaking.

"Something's wrong."

Rolo gave him the source of the problem.

"The thrusters are maxed out!"

As Pidge dodged the Drule fighters, Rolo spoke to her.

"Pidge, we're about as high as this overloaded escape pod'll take us. We could sure use a pickup."

"On my way!"

With that, Pidge made a break for them, and not a minute too soon as suddenly, the engines died as Rolo spoke.

"Engines are failing!"

As the ship powered down and plummeted, the Green Lion swerved to it.

"Hang on tight!"

She then used a maneuver to go directly underneath the ship before it entered the cockpit and closed it before Pidge pulled it out of the planet's barrier, giving the cloaking ability back as she used it.

"Cloaking back online."

As the Green Lion seemingly disappeared, the Drule fighters swerved away before Matt went to talk to Pidge and break the news to her. Unfortunately for him, she assumed the news would be good.

"Matt! Matt, did you find him?"

"I'm sorry, Pidge."

Pidge was afraid of what it meant as she tried to run to check on him.

"No. Dad! Dad, where are you?!"

"He wasn't there. He was already gone."

Upset at having lost her chance to rescue her father, Pidge knelt to the floor as she sobbed.

"No. No..."

"Don't give up, Pidge. We know Dad's alive. We'll find him."

* * *

At Kaecilius' cruiser, he examined his body and immediately grew shocked at this before Vantiv spoke in support of him.

"I'm sorry for what you went through to be like this."

Kaecilius, however, only chuckled as he spoke.

"Why should you be? This... ghastly appearance is a small price to pay for the power I wield now."

Suddenly, the mirror in front of him shattered to pieces the instant his eyes flared purple, shocking her as he smirked.

"Now, the Paladins will be destroyed."

Suddenly, Varek spoke out to him.

"Kaecilius, a transmission is waiting for you."

As it went to him, Kaecilius saw Syn in one of Lotor's ships as he spoke.

"Emperor Kaecilius."

"Syn. What have you to report?"

"It is just like you suspected. Lotor is planning to infiltrate the Quintessence field for 'peace.' But not to worry. I know a way to get him."

"Explain."

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny sat down beside Pidge as she comforted her.

"It'll be okay, Pidge. We'll just use a Galra finder to look for them. Hopefully, it'll be a good lead."

Suddenly, the transmission appeared in the Castle as it showed a maniacal Kaecilius, who now possessed a sinister grin before he spoke.

"Paladins of Voltron."

Jenny recognized this from her vision upon retrieving the White Lion as she spoke.

"Kaecilius. Yikes. What happened to his face?"

"I have a one-time offer. And I expect you to cooperate. I have someone of value to you."

As he stepped back, the Paladins saw Sam Holt held captive by Varek, Vantiv, and Syn before Pidge spoke.

"Dad."

"If you want to reunite with him alive, you will send the children of Zarkon and your White Paladin, Jennifer Shaybon. Failure to comply will result in his termination. Choose wisely, for his sake."


	42. Bad Blood

**Chapter 41:** Bad Blood

At a remote planet similar to Earth, the Castle of Lions hovered above it as a pod went down from the Castle with Shiro, Pidge, Matt, Jenny, Ayame, and Lotor inside as it then descended safely to the ground before the pilots got out with Matt leading Jenny and Ayame out in handcuffs as he spoke to the Black Paladin.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"This is the place."

With that, Pidge looked over to Jenny and Ayame with worry over her face.

* * *

 _At the Castle, Pidge saw her father held captive by Varek, Vantiv, and Syn as she spoke._

" _Dad!"_

 _Kaecilius then proceeded with his trade._

" _As I said, you will hand over the children of Zarkon and the White Paladin to me if you wish to see the Earthling alive. Refuse this offer, and he will cease to draw breath."_

 _Seeing this, Jenny grew worried before Pidge spoke to her brother._

" _He's alive! Our dad is alive! We have to get him back!"_

" _We're going to. What's the plan, Shiro?"_

" _We can't rush into anything. We have to think this through."_

 _Pidge, forgetting about the cost of getting her father back, interrupted Shiro._

" _What's to think through?! It's my dad! We're doing this!"_

 _Hearing her say this so suddenly, Jenny began to get hurt as Ayame noticed this herself while Shiro tried to alleviate the situation._

" _We need to operate under the assumption that Kaecilius will try to double-cross us."_

" _We have_ _Voltron_ _! We can do anything!"_

 _Ayame felt differently._

" _Yes, it can. But it can't do everything at once. That's the whole reason we have the coalition to begin with."_

 _That didn't matter to Pidge as she spoke._

" _We can't let this opportunity slip away! We're too close! Our father is too close!"_

 _Knowing how quickly Pidge agreed to Kaecilius' terms, Jenny snapped._

" _YOU WOULDN'T EVEN BE THIS CLOSE WITHOUT ME! DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THAT?!"_

 _Hearing the hurt in her voice as she sobbed, Pidge realized her mistake as she spoke on._

" _Did everything we go through for those past couple of years mean anything to you at all? Or were we just your temporary convenience?"_

 _As she hissed those two words at her, Pidge tried to convince her it wasn't the case._

" _No, Jenny. I just— I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to hurt you."_

" _Well, I understand. But still... I've been wondering that since day one. And I need a truthful answer. Do you even care about us at all?"_

 _With that, Jenny walked away from the bridge with a sour look as she held her head down._

* * *

On the planet, Pidge walked over to the White Paladins and spoke to them.

"Hey, guys? Listen. I'm so sorry for how I've treated you guys. I just— I just wanted my dad back."

As Ayame looked at Pidge solemnly, she spoke up.

"We're sorry, too. I just want to get this over with."

Jenny only turned away from her as the Altean spoke.

"Well, there's only one thing I have to say to you. A deal is only as good as the man who makes it. Keep that in mind, okay?"

As she looked to the sky, Jenny noticed an aircraft flying down to the drop zone before it landed. Once it did, the ship opened the door to show Kaecilius in his corrupted state with a devilish smile before he spoke.

"You have a debt to pay."

* * *

 _At the Castle's lower levels, the Paladins had an audience with Lotor as the prisoner spoke to them._

" _Kaecilius has held the universe in a death grip for millennia, but he sees it slipping from his grasp because of your efforts and because of mine. With our forces combined, we would provide the greatest threat Kaecilius has ever faced. He knows we could topple his empire, so this is his attempt to tear us apart."_

 _Jenny felt it plainly obvious, having been the victim of Pidge's act of selfishness._

" _Maybe he already has."_

" _But united, we could forge a new path, open doors to new worlds and crush the tyrannical ways of an old regime."_

 _Pidge then countered his beliefs._

" _A regime you ran. We can't listen to him. He just wants to save his own skin."_

" _It's true. If you send me to Kaecilius, he would surely see to my demise. And with his most legitimate threat to the throne removed, other than my father, he would only grow stronger. But for the White Paladins, after the misery he endured, he intends a far worse fate for them. Are you really willing to let them be subject to this torture?"_

 _Pidge only replied coldly._

" _One less threat to Kaecilius, and one less threat to us."_

 _Lance then reminded Pidge of the stakes._

" _Yeah, and two less Paladins. One of which you hurt very badly, by the way."_

 _As Pidge looked back to her, Jenny only gave a saddened look before Pidge returned a sad face as she spoke._

" _Don't remind me."_

 _Lotor then turned to Allura as he voiced his pleas._

" _Your father, King Alfor, once stood side by side with Zarkon and protected the universe from harm. There was no foe the Paladins of old couldn't defeat. Sadly, that time of peace has been lost, but together, we can find it once more. Princess, imagine, a new generation that could lift the mantle of peace. The children of King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon, you and I, a royal alliance between Altean and Galra..."_

 _Before he could speak onward, Pidge interrupted._

" _Lies! Every word is a lie!"_

" _And what of Kaecilius' words? You think he'll return my father as he says? You think the corrupted leader of a fractured empire will be true to his word?"_

" _Like your word is any better."_

" _You don't understand. He wants more than just the three of us."_

 _Ayame could guess what he meant._

" _You're thinking he's going to double-cross us."_

" _I think he'd do anything to rid himself of me and claim the Lions of_ _Voltron_ _, if not destroy them. He also intends to prey on the follies of mortality so he can use this to wipe out his enemies and gain allies at the same time. His influence is devastatingly infectious. That is how Syn must have joined him before I recruited him. I must admit, he did well covering his tracks."_

 _Taking the events in consideration, Allura spoke up._

" _An alliance with the heir to the Galra throne could end the war."_

 _Pidge then spoke against it as she snapped._

" _What?!"_

" _It's not ideal. I don't like trusting the Galra but it could be our best option."_

" _No!"_

" _Pidge, think of the lives we could save. Think of the countless worlds we could free."_

" _Think of my father!"_

 _Lance then snapped back at Pidge._

" _At the expense of losing Jenny? I don't think so."_

" _Don't play into Kaecilius' hands!"_

 _As she dwelled on it, Jenny spoke up._

" _I'm in for it, if it'll get Pidge's father back. Not that she'd care."_

 _As she said that last sentence to Pidge who felt sore about how she treated her, she turned to Ayame._

" _What do you think?"_

" _Honestly... I don't know. On one hand, we can save Sam, but on the other... the Galra Empire could finally know peace. This is difficult to decide. What about you, Hunk?"_

" _I don't know. I mean, if this dude here is on our side like he says he is— You, you are saying you're on our side, right?"_

 _As Hunk spoke onward, Pidge began to get tense._

" _Then, couldn't he lead the Galra to peace from inside?"_

" _We are turning them in and getting my Dad back! We have_ _Voltron_ _to bring peace to the universe!"_

 _Ayame then pointed out another detail in debate._

" _I don't doubt that, but is_ _Voltron_ _really enough, Pidge?"_

" _Well, it's better than the Galra! They've had 10,000 years to change, and they didn't! They're obviously a lost cause!"_

 _Hearing her say this, Ayame widened her eyes as she gasped before Pidge realized she'd made another mistake before Jenny, hurt and betrayed as she was, tried to calm her down._

" _Ayame, calm down. Pidge didn't mean to—"_

 _However, it was too late as Ayame threw a punch across Pidge's face in anger, shocking the group all around them, even Lotor. Although, his reason was because of how sudden she'd changed. In this case, Ayame's skin color was now light purple with dark violet hair, pointy ears, and yellow sclerae near her purple irises before she shed tears as she angrily retaliated in verbal communication._

" _How can you possibly think that after everything we've done?! Everything we've been through! Did you ever think about their lives?! Their loss?! Their families?! Maybe they were just tired of being pushed around! Least of all, by people like you!"_

 _Seeing how far it escalated, Shiro had enough of the drama as he took his turn to snap._

" _That's enough!"_

 _As they all turned to him, Shiro spoke onward._

" _I know everyone is upset. In fact, I'm still trying to decide which option is right. But if we don't decide what to do and soon, everyone, and I mean_ everyone _, will die. And I'll be darned if we made it this far just to tear the whole universe apart."_

 _Jenny could tell by the look on his face that he had something else in mind._

" _Sounds like you have a plan. What do we do?"_

 _With that, Pidge looked to Ayame and saw hurt on her face. Yet another mistake she'd made. With Ayame now looking at her with a face full of mistrust, Pidge was beginning to regret not thinking about her words at all._

* * *

At the planet, Kaecilius reiterated his demands as he noticed two out of three patrons.

"One of you is missing. Bring out Lotor."

Shiro remembered the deal, and wanted to be sure he kept his word.

"Show us Commander Holt first!"

"Very well."

As he stepped away, he revealed Sam in chains beside Varek, Vantiv, and Syn before Pidge became desperate to get him beside her.

"Dad!"

However, Shiro stopped her before Kaecilius spoke.

"Now it's your turn. Produce Lotor to me, now!"

* * *

At her lair, Haggar tried to use her newly cured Quintessence to heal herself as she was suddenly overwhelmed by its power as she screamed while the blue light began overtaking the purple and covered the room in its light. In that light, Haggar knelt down and encountered memories of her time in the empire. For instance, she noticed herself pregnant with Lotor as Zarkon and two Galra doctors accompanied her before the emperor spoke.

"Can you save the child?"

"We will try, sire. There are many complications."

She then encountered another memory in which Lotor was born as she heard crying in the distance and gasped before turning to see a crib with the child all by himself. Then, she heard a boy laughing before turning towards him. However, when she did, the boy looked similar to Lotor, only about the size of a young man. And the eyes were yellow with Quintessence before he ran and she gave chase. When she caught up, she saw Lotor as he is now. But when he looked back to her, he showed restrained contempt in spite of the yellow Quintessence that fueled his eyes before Haggar went back to reality.

"My son... Lotor."

On the remote planet, Lotor stepped out of the pod in shackles as he noticed Ayame and Jenny's discomfort with the situation.

* * *

At the Castle, Hunk spoke with Babak, Coran, Allura, Lance, and Alphus.

"Everything's going according to plan."

The Blue Paladin was still unsure about the situation.

"I still don't like it. And I don't just mean the fact that Jenny's being given up like that. This whole thing is like making a deal with the devil."

Babak understood as he spoke.

"Quiznak! I hate being so out of range!"

Alphus eased his tension as she spoke.

"Kaecilius' fleet is also out of range. These are the terms we agreed on."

Back on the surface, Shiro spoke to the opposing factor.

"Send us Commander Holt!"

Kaecilius smirked before he spoke.

"Release the prisoner."

Syn then spoke to Sam as he shoved him further along.

"Move."

Ignoring the shove, Sam walked downward, his eyes fixated on the ground before Kaecilius spoke.

"Now, send them."

With that, Jenny, Ayame, and Lotor walked upward towards Sam as Shiro spoke.

"Stay alert. If Kaecilius is going to try something, now would be the time."

As the suspense got heightened, one of the White Paladins, the two siblings and Sam walked to their destinations. But when they crossed paths, they noticed something off with Sam as he didn't even give them one look before Ayame grew worried with Lotor sure of the trickery. At the same time, Jenny noticed too while Pidge got overcome with feelings of longing before running to him as Shiro called out to her.

"Pidge!"

"Dad! Dad!"

When she tried to hug him, however, she only went through him before he had disappeared. This meant only one thing. It was a double-cross. Upon realizing this, Pidge growled before snapping at him.

"No! What did you do to my father?!"

Varek only smirked as he replied.

"Oh, surely you can guess that much, my friend."

With that, he brought out the real Sam who noticed her as he spoke.

"Katie."

Seeing him, she grew more desperate than ever.

"No! No, we had a deal! We had a deal! Give me my father!"

Syn only scoffed at this before getting his sword out as he shouted to him.

"You're in no position to order us!"

With that, he swiftly impaled his sword through Sam, mortifying the prisoners and shattering Pidge as she shouted.

"NO!"

With that, he pulled out his sword before he fell, barely breathing before Syn spoke.

"Defy us again, and he won't live to see another day!"

* * *

At the Castle, they saw the ruthless display Syn put on as Hunk spoke.

"Lotor was right. Kaecilius double-crossed us."

Lance then spoke to the others.

"Everyone get to your lions! We're going in!"

Allura spoke against this, however.

"Lance, we can't. Jenny and Sam's lives are already in jeopardy enough as it is. If we go in, they won't get out alive."

Coran then spoke up on another matter.

"Allura's right. If we move in, Kaecilius' fleet moves in as well."

Hunk pointed out the main problem.

"Yeah, but without Lotor, Jenny, and Ayame, we don't hold any cards. We're powerless. What do we do?"

"We hold our positions."

* * *

Back on the planet, Kaecilius reiterated Syn's threat and promise.

"You heard my disciple! If you wish for the Earthling to be returned alive, you will forfeit Voltron to me immediately!"

Pidge didn't listen as she tried to get to her ailing father before Matt stopped her.

"No. No! We have to get dad!"

"Shiro?"

"Hold your positions until the time is right."

As dust blew in the middle, Lotor looked to Vantiv before he looked to the White Paladins before they nodded to him as Kaecilius shouted.

"Bring me the lions, or your friend dies!"

However, Lotor cut the threat short as he got out a surprising weapon: the Black Bayard. With it, he broke Jenny and Ayane's chains before he tossed it towards the corrupted tyrant before he dodged it and Lotor stood guard as Jenny and Ayame got their bayards out and shot them at Syn, knocking him back with Kaecilius glaring at them.

"Foolish mortals. This changes nothing. Your fate still awaits you... and it shall receive you three at its gate!"

Lotor then turned the Black Bayard into a sword before he spoke to the White Paladins.

"Now! Go rescue your companion!"

"Right!"

"You got it!"

With that, they went in the hangar as Lotor confronted Kaecilius with a dart towards him, forcing his opponent to follow suit as he summoned a dark red and black aura blade over his left hand. As Lotor swung his fist, Kaecilius swung his Quintessential fist at him before they clashed with a barrier of purple and dark red light expanding before the ground broke apart. As they grunted with Kaecilius' eyes glowing as he screamed in anger, Shiro turned to Matt and Pidge.

"We need to help Jenny and Ayame get Sam."

With that, the trio went to the cruiser as Syn dragged the ailing body of Sam up onto the chair as he looked back to his daughter.

"Katie!"

Before Syn could chain him, Jenny shoved him away before he got up and growled.

"You don't know what trouble you're asking for."

Jenny only retorted as she summoned her chain blade variant with a smile.

"If I didn't, I would've left anyway."

* * *

At the Castle, Hunk and Babak gave the update.

"Pidge, Shiro, and Matt are moving in!"

"Kaecilius' fleet is mobilizing as well!"

Lance then spoke to the others again.

"Everyone, get to your lions. We need to protect our team and get Sam."

* * *

As the Red, Blue, and Yellow Lions took off for the battle, the cruiser that housed Sam began to take off just as Syn and Vantiv fended off Jenny and Ayame with the former's chain blade against Vantiv's Quintessential claw and Ayame's naginata against Syn's sword as he spoke.

"Is siding with those Paladins what this made you into, Xaira? A coward?"

"I'm not running."

"You will."

With that, Syn forced her back just as Shiro, Pidge, and Matt went on the shuttle as she and the Black Paladin spoke up.

"We can't let the shuttle dock with the cruiser!"

"We need backup. Lance! We could use a little help down here."

"We're already on our way!"

Inside the shuttle, Syn and Vantiv knocked the White Paladins back before he spoke.

"Is that really your best? To think Kaecilius had trouble with you."

Suddenly, they heard metal slicing on the ceiling of the shuttle before a grating fell to the floor as Shiro, Pidge and Matt entered before the Green Paladin called out Syn.

"Hey! Let my dad go!"

"Oh, I will. Over your dead body."

* * *

At the planet's surface, Lotor clashed his bayard with Kaecilius' aura blade before he raised his fist to attack him, only for Lotor to dodge, causing him to crash his fist into the ground before charging back at him and clashing his sword with his Quintessential fist again before raising his fist to strike, but this time with a dark red orb and succeeded in damaging Lotor as he got trapped in it as the orb expanded around him while he screamed at the pain it gave him. However, Lotor was able to cut it loose with his sword and destroyed it before panting as Kaecilius laughed with the clouds going over them.

"New ownership of the black bayard? Does the mimicry have no end? You pathetic mortals always tried to emulate the divine. Now, why is that? Is it because we gods are so wondrous? Are you covering our undeniable beauty? I understand, yet it's so tragic. Your mimicry is doomed to fail. Acts of gods are beautiful because we're inherently pure, while mortal endeavors will inevitably become wicked, corrupted and marred by sin!"

"Like your body?! You've become nothing more than your own worst enemy! You proclaim that our use of Quintessence is abhorring, but you're no better! Despite your decrees, you're no more mortal than any of us, yet the power you possess has blinded you of that! All see it clearly. Without your master, without his law, you're nothing."

Kaecilius only growled before his body glowed a dark red and black color before he roared at the top of his lungs with a pillar rising to the sky before it faded as he now glared at Lotor before speaking.

"I don't need your opinion, Lotor. I JUST NEED YOU DEAD!"

Suddenly, he lunged at Lotor before smashing his fist at the ground before Lotir jumped and attempted an overhead slash, only for Lotir to be stopped by his Quintessential fist as he thrusted him to the floor. Then, he leaped above Lotor before he noticed and leaped away.

* * *

At the shuttle, Shiro clashed with Varek, arm to aura blade as the latter forced him back with a laugh from nearly cutting his arm before Shiro growled and charged at him while Matt faced Vantiv as she slashed at him, only for Matt to block her claw with his staff before Pidge charged toward Syn, who spoke to the ship.

"Hoist us up!"

With that, the ship rose up to his command before his shoes glowed purple on the bottom as the Paladins and Matt were caught in a trap of sorts before Jenny got her chain blade out and wrapped it around Syn, catching him by surprise before she pulled herself to him and kneed him under the chin, causing him to smash the controls before he went unconscious and the ship went down while both parties are now floating. Despite this, Jenny went over to Sam and saw the wound.

"It's okay. I gotcha."

With that, she placed her hand over the wound and took a deep breath, allowing blue light to envelop it before the laceration went away and Sam felt better than new as Pidge joined in with her bayard while Jenny spoke.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, guys."

However, it was too soon to thank them as the shuttle was going downward.

"The ship's gonna crash!"

As Pidge tried to get the controls, Syn jumped on her and got her in a grip as she spoke to Sam.

"Dad, get the controls!"

As he took the controls, Jenny shoved Syn away while also bumping Sam away accidentally.

"Sorry, Sam."

"Oh! A little help, guys."

Shiro and Matt were a little occupied at the moment as they fought Varelk and Vantiv.

"Just a sec."

"Kinda busy here, Dad."

Fortunately, Ayame wasn't occupied at the moment as she spoke.

"I got this."

* * *

While Ayame took the controls, Lance spoke to Allura and Hunk.

"We can't let the Drule get that shuttle!"

"Copy that!"

With that, the lions got their jaw blades and tore at the ships, tearing the fleet apart before a fighter crashed into an area where Lotor and Karcilius fought once more, with the former on the receiving end of his blows before Kaecilius lurched his aura blade toward him, only for Lotor to block it with the Black Bayard as he spoke condescendingly.

"Tell me, how will you escape my justice next? Will you run to the Galra begging for help from the rest of your pathetic mortal herd, or this time will you try Voltron? HOW WILL YOU COMPENSATE FOR YOUR WEAKNESS NOW?!"

"I may not have mastered my weakness, but I do know yours. And that's your so-called justice!"

Angered at this, Kaecilius pushed his aura blade further down.

* * *

In the shuttle, Jenny saw Lotor at Kaecilius' mercy before she gasped.

"Oh no! I gotta help him! Ayame, think you can control this thing?"

"Go ahead. Just make sure Lotor is okay."

"Don't need to remind me."

With that, Jenny went to the windshield before she spoke.

"Pull up!"

With that, Ayame pulled the shuttle up until it was headed directly for the sky as the Paladins found something safe to hang off of before she spoke again.

"Now open the hatch!"

With that, Jenny opened the gate behind them before Syn, Varek, and Vantiv got sucked out before Jenny darted out and used her jet pack to steer herself towards Kaecilius and Lotor just as she noticed the Castle arriving as she spoke.

"Coran?"

"I thought you could use a little help."

As the Castle decimated the fleet, Lance spoke to the others.

"Shiro and Pidge, the sky has been cleared of all Drule. What's your status?"

Pidge answered as she stood by her father.

"The shuttle's clear, and we're ready to go."

Then, she heard Sam slump back after a terrifying moment before Pidge noticed and hugged him as she took off her helmet.

"Dad! I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Katie."

As Matt joined in to hug him, Ayame and Shiro smiled at them before they were joked with the other lions as Lance spoke.

"Nice job, team."

Shiro then grew concerned about a battle taking place.

"Where are Lotor and Kaecilius?"

Ayame then spoke up.

"Jenny went out there to help Lotor. We have to get to them."

* * *

As the shuttle headed for them, Kaecilius stood tall over a defeated Lotor as he raised his Quintessential fist with a dark red orb in its clutches as he spoke.

"Your fleet has been destroyed, and your followers separated. It's over."

"Wrong. The Drule Empire is eternal. Which is more than I can say for you."

Suddenly, a slashing sound was made as it cut off the Quintessential arm before Kaecilius screamed in agony before Jenny went down between him and Lotor, who was surprised to see her considering trust issues before his arm reformed while the stunted Paladin spoke.

"Oh, crud."

"Don't you see? I'm everlasting!"

With a swipe from his arm, Kaecilius knocked farther away as Jenny yelped before she recovered and prepared a dark red orb.

"You may be more powerful, but you're still not a god!"

As he roared, he fired it at Jenny before she blocked it with her hand like before. Except this time, it didn't dissolve. It was actually pushing her back before the orb glowed brighter, forcing her to push it up before it exploded just above her, pushing her deeper into the ground before a crater was made as Kaecilius proudly walked toward it and saw Jenny struggling to come out of the crater which laid bare as he summoned another dark red orb, to which Lotor took objection to.

"No!"

He then got the Black Bayard back from the ground as Kaecilius spoke.

"And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!"

Lotor then jumped into the air with a grunt before he performed an overhead slash and separated his Quintessential side with his normal one completely, earning a pained scream from Kaecilius as the blast fired near the crater and went upwards into the air before the blast faded. After the action was made, Kaecilius groaned as the Quintessential side was completely faded with traces of it remaining on the bayard.

"A... a righteous god defeated by a mortal. It's sacrilege... it cannot be!"

With that, he only chuckled before it turned into a dark, maniacal laughter. However, it didn't last as the Quintessential side's flame rekindled and swallowed the rest of his body before it scattered to the far side of the galaxy with the Paladins, Sam, Syn, Varek, and Vantiv stood in shock before the last of the three fell in despair.

"No..."

Varek then comforted her as he lifted her up.

"He's scattered to a new reality, wherever it may be."

Syn then glared at Lotor and Jenny as the former helped her up.

"This isn't over."


	43. Postmortem

**Chapter 42:** Postmortem

At Zarkon's Central Command, he sat on his throne, having heard the news from Zygmar.

"What? Lotor... dispatched Kaecilius?"

"Yes, my lord. Kaecilius... is no more."

This made him widen his eyes before he grew worried as he put his hand on his head.

"Oh, no..."

This confused Zygmar as he spoke.

"What is it, my emperor? Is something wrong?"

Trying not to worry the messenger, Zarkon just sent him out.

"N-Never you mind. Please, leave me."

With that, Zygmar bowed before he spoke.

"Vrepit Sa."

As he walked out, however, Zarkon grew stressed about what it meant.

"If Kaecilius really is gone..."

Suddenly, Zarkon received a vision of Kaecilius laughing maniacally before he felt his head again and noticed his hand beginning to wither away in wrinkles as he figured out what it meant as he began to feel ill.

"No... my 10,000 years are beginning to catch up with me. I must... I must warn my children..."

As Zarkon began coughing, he began setting up a transmission to the Castle where he saw Ayame, Allura, and Lotor before the first of the three spoke up.

"Father. What's going on?"

"M-My health... is in danger. And I fear the Galra Empire will fall Along with me."

Hearing this, Komar grew interested as he was spying from behind a pillar before cloaking himself.

* * *

At Olkarion, Ryner spoke with Belle, Sam, Alphus, Matt, Pidge, Cilia, and Sapphire as the last two were told of their events while their own ion cannon is being installed.

"Wow. Your forest can interact with technology as well? That's... astounding."

"So cool!"

As Ryner smiled at Sapphire's comment, she spoke of how she missed it so.

"Part of me misses my people's exile in the forest. But since Olkarion became the hub for refugees in this quadrant, it made sense that we should return to the city and transform it into the Coalition's capital."

As he and Pidge spoke, Sam walked up and looked outside the window to see their technological advancements.

"So much has changed so fast."

"For the better."

Belle knew better than to call it quits, however.

"Yeah, well, Kaecilius may be gone, but the war's not over yet."

"That is why the Olkari are grateful Voltron and its counterpart is here until our defense systems are fully operational. I fear tumultuous times are upon us."

* * *

Ryner couldn't have been more right. At Base: Xanthium, Komar walked towards the controls with the thought of Zarkon's health at risk.

"If Zarkon truly has become ill, then countless Galra will try to fill that void, our faction included. This can be quite opportune."

Just then, he heard Syn's voice behind him.

"Opportune for what, exactly?"

As Komar turned to see Syn, Varek, and Vantiv, he gave them the answer whilst easing their worries as he saw their discontent faces.

"If one of our own should obtain power, the Drule Empire will have dynamic ownership of the cosmos. And not to worry. Our master should return from his hyper-luminal warp drive... now."

With that, Kaecilius appeared in a flash of blinding purple light before it dimmed to reveal a bright purple silhouette with yellow eyes before Vantiv widened her eyes at his form.

"And that's not all."

With that, Komar then pushed a button to show the lights on another body of Kaecilius, one that resembled how he was before his exposure to Omegus' influence 10,000 years ago before the quintessential form went inside the clone body with Komar checking the statistics. As the monitor blinked green, Kaecilius' clone body woke up with a gasp before he panted heavily as Vantiv rushed over to him and helped him out gently while speaking to Komar.

"How did you do this?"

"Why, it's very simple. Kaecilius was obviously counting on being bested once. So, it's only natural that he had a backup plan. We have our dear friend Shiro to thank for that."

As he motioned to Shiro's real body in a capsule now with his hair long, Vantiv couldn't help but feel entranced as he spoke.

"And there's more good news. Emperor Zarkon is beginning to wither away."

Hearing this, Kaecilius smiled.

"Good. With any luck, the Galra Empire shall be no more... find me a volunteer. With him in Zarkon's place, the Drule Empire will make that of the Galra rot from inside."

* * *

At the Castle, Ayame sat by Lotor as Allura spoke.

"They should be here any minute."

"Good. There is much to discuss."

Having just received the news of their father's illness kicking in, Ayame looked over to Lotor and saw his concern as she spoke.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

Ayame knew otherwise. Given that Zarkon's illness was triggered just after Kaecilius' defeat, she knew he must be blaming himself for taking action when he did, knowing somehow it caused their father's sickness.

"What you did was for the greater good, Lotor. And for many of us, Jenny included, proof of your intentions for peace. They're finally starting to see it."

This made Lotor smile at her before Lance, Jenny, Pidge, Hunk, Coran, Babak, and Shiro walked in as the first got surprised before he spoke sarcastically followed by Pidge, Jenny, and Coran.

"Look. It's Prince Lotor, just hangin' out on the bridge."

"Guess this is a thing that's happening."

"Well, he did save my butt."

"I suppose we'll all have to get used to it— like my Zarbloovian intestinal eel."

This caught Jenny off guard as she spoke.

"Wait, what?"

As Coran's stomach seemed to have growled, Jenny grew frightened as he soothed it.

"Easy, fella."

"Please tell me that's not gonna happen to me!"

"Oh, relax. That's not what usually happens to Alteans. I got that one during one of my escapades in Zarbloov."

"Oh. I'm... not sure how I feel about that now."

With that, Shiro walked up to Lotor as he spoke.

"What's going on, Lotor?"

"As we've just been told, now that no trace of Omegus is inside him, our father is beginning to die in increments. In fact, it's already creating a power vacuum within the Galra Empire. The most formidable Galra leaders will gather for what is called the Kral Zera sometime in the next two days to decide who will take the throne in my father's place. We must be there."

Lance, Allura, Jenny didn't feel as if it's the best plan.

"So, you want _us_ to fly _you_ into the middle of a meeting with all of the most powerful Galra leaders?"

Allura and Jenny began to be concerned for this as well.

"Lotor, we appreciate all that you've sacrificed, but this sounds far too dangerous."

"She's right. I mean, do you even have the big guy's permission?"

Shiro, however, saw merit in their mission.

"We've been in more dangerous situations with much less to gain. Putting Lotor on the Galra throne is what we've been discussing."

Pidge only showed concern toward this.

"Yeah, but no one told us that would mean flying into a war zone."

"We can't plan an operation this important so quickly."

"We don't have a choice."

Lance then spoke up followed by Jenny.

"I'm with Allura. We need time to think this over."

"And permission! Don't forget permission!"

"Guys, this is not your call."

Hearing this, Jenny grew a bit perplexed.

"Okay..."

"Allura, the Coalition wouldn't be where it is right now without Lotor. We need to listen to him."

Pidge then spoke up in agreement with her.

"Well, I'm with Allura, too. This is too dangerous to pull off at the last minute."

Coran then spoke up next before Babak.

"Agreed. So, it looks like it's five-to-two in the Princess's favor."

"Six."

"Look, this isn't a vote. I'm the leader of Voltron. I'm making this decision."

"Like when you armed Lotor with your bayard without consulting the rest of us?"

"That's right. Making that decision resulted in the removal of Kaecilius and stopping his Drule Empire in its tracks."

"You put the entire operation in jeopardy."

"I put an end to Kaecilius' reign of terror. Now is the time to finish the job."

Lance then walked up to Shiro as he spoke.

"Shiro, we're all on the same side here."

However, Shiro only snapped at him for trying to soothe the tension.

"I told you to stay out of this!"

This made Lance even more surprised with Jenny just as shocked while Ayame showed a look of concern before Lotor spoke.

"While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void, the Drule included. If we don't return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will."

"Good. It's settled."

Jenny felt otherwise as she spoke.

"How does that make it settled? We didn't agree to anything."

"Our hands are tied. The Kral Zera is happening. If we want to stop the Galra from taking themselves down the wrong path, we need to put Lotor on the throne immediately."

"Why him? Why not Ayame?"

Lotor then explained this as he spoke.

"Because that privilege usually falls on the living eldest child."

Jenny then eyed him as she spoke questioningly.

"And how old are you?"

"Over 10,000 years old."

This made Jenny widen her eyes before she stepped back.

"Oh. You look good for someone who's lived that long."

With that, Lance spoke to Shiro, having decided to give him some space.

"Okay. If this isn't my call, then there's nothing I can do. If anyone needs me, I'll be doing some training. Anyone who wants to join is welcome."

As he walked out, Jenny ran toward him.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Kaecilius can see Lance and Jenny walking out as he grew curious.

"That fool... he should've held his tongue in that manner. I suppose all mortals speak highly of themselves when their situation gets undesirable. A feeble coping mechanism, at best."

Just then, Varek arrived with Branko, although he's not himself. He was shown to have purple eyes rather than a yellow and red one.

"Our volunteer has just arrived. With a little trick I used at Olkarion, he sees things our way now."

"Perfect. If he succeeds in taking the throne, no one will suspect this..."

With that, Branko's purple eye coloring vanished, restoring the yellow eye and red robotic eye coloring as Kaecilius spoke again.

"...until it's too late."

* * *

At Zarkon's Central Command, Ezor, Kurziam, Acxa, and Zethrid were in a cell together. Evidently, once Zygmar found out he was given the order to imprison them out of suspicion that they were behind his poisoning, and they didn't quite take it very well.

"What are they planning to do to us? We brought Lotor back to Emperor Zarkon. It wasn't our fault he got sick.'

"While I agree with you, their feelings may not be mutual."

"It doesn't matter. We won't live to see the new regime. Whoever comes through that door next will likely be our undertaker."

"Whoever comes through that door next is gonna get a face full of fists."

Suddenly, the door began to open, revealing Haggar herself and surprising the former generals as Ezor spoke.

"Are you here to kill us?"

"No. I'm here to recruit you."

* * *

At the training room, Lance was shooting at the drones spinning around him as Jenny watched while he successfully shot one down before he was swarmed with them before being shot in the back and shoulder as he summoned his shield and blocked their fire while grunting as he cane under heavy fire. While Jenny grew worried, she knew better than to interfere, having been told not to do so before Lance opened his eyes as his bayard suddenly changed before it turned into a broadsword and cleaved the drones swiftly before Jenny widened her eyes at his weapon as he looked at it himself.

"Whoa."

"Uh, Lance? How did you do that?"

Allura had the answer as she spoke.

"I haven't seen that for 10,000 years."

This made Jenny curious as she spoke to her.

"Seen what? What is that?"

"It's an Altean broadsword. My father used one just like it."

This made Jenny look to him again with intense surprise.

"Okay, Lance. For real, you've got to tell me how you did that!"

"I have no idea how I did this."

"Aw, man!"

"I think your bayard has shown you what we've all been noticing. You have greatness within."

Jenny smiled at Lance, who returned the favor before he remembered someone who snapped at him not too long ago.

"Huh. I don't think Shiro has noticed."

Hearing this, Jenny and Allura admitted their feelings to him as they spoke.

"Yeah. We know what you mean. Maybe he's just... stressed? I don't know."

"Shiro has been quite difficult lately. I'm not sure what to do. We seem to constantly be at odds."

"You guys are under a lot of pressure. Having Lotor around doesn't help."

"Sometimes it feels like it was easier to fight the Galra rather than to try to work with them. Well, Lapis and her friends excluded, but still."

"Speaking of, the way Shiro acted... doesn't that remind you of anyone else? I mean, what if he left the team, too?"

Lance could easily see their concern as he spoke.

"Fat chance. You both have the coalition's best interests at heart. Don't forget that. Shiro isn't your enemy."

"Maybe. But, still... it just doesn't feel right."

"Well, he is the leader. Maybe since we're this close, he's really determined to make sure that we all get out of this in one piece."

This made Jenny smile at the thought as she spoke.

"You know... maybe you're right. I shouldn't get so suspicious. I mean, he did help us out over and over."

"And I need to stay focused on the big picture. Thank you, Lance. Speaking with you has actually made me feel better."

"What do you mean, 'actually?'"

Jenny proceeded to explain what she meant.

"Well, considering your track record with other ladies on Earth, I wouldn't exactly expect her to go to you for advice."

"Hey!"

This made Jenny and Allura laugh before Lance joined in on the laughter before he spoke.

"Ah, you're right. I must have really grown out of it since then, huh?"

"Yep. You sure did."

With that, Allura spoke to Lance next.

"Oh, and Lance, if you're going to try to control a sword this powerful..."

Suddenly, she tripped Lance before taking the bayard herself, causing it to change back as Jenny started laughing her head off at how easily Lance was tripped.

"...you're going to need to work on your stance."

* * *

At the Green Lion's hangar, Pidge spoke to her father about the Green Lion.

"I developed a cloaking device by reverse engineering the technology from the invisible maze in the Castle and integrating it with the lion's shield system. The last time Rogue Thrust was here, Luzria asked me if she could get the schematics for it to use on the Violet Lion, so I agreed to it, just for one small favor."

"It's just amazing. All this technology— it used to exist only in my dreams. I can't wait to tell your mother all about this. Wait till she sees you two. So grown up."

However, Pidge and Matt had other plans.

"Well, the thing is, between the rebels, the Blades, and Voltron, Matt and I have a lot of work to do before we can go back home."

"Right. We need to stay, until the Drule are defeated and we can rest assured Earth will always be safe."

"What?"

"We can't go home with you, dad."

With that, the three of them just stared at each other in the hall.

* * *

At the Central Command, Haggar gave them the news.

"With every minute passing, Emperor Zarkon's health is declining, and the Empire weakens by the same moment."

Zethrid grew concerned as to what it means for them.

"Are you planning to seize power?"

"No. The Empire will only accept a ruler with Galra blood. It needs a natural-born leader. With an iron will to match his iron fist. Bring him to me, and I will pardon your past misdeeds."

* * *

Meanwhile, in outer space, Branko was traveling towards Olkarion with Komar speaking to him.

"Is the payload ready, Commander Branko?"

"Yes, Komar. The Olkari scientists were good for something after all."

"For your sake, you had better be right."

With that, Branko fired the payload from the Drule cruiser before it sped like a meteor toward Olkarion as Komar spoke to Kaecilius.

"If what Branko preaches turns out to be truth, then we'll have quite a garden in store for us."

"So long as it blooms Voltron to us, our attempt to seize the throne will be that much more successful."

* * *

At Olkarion, the payload made a sonic boom as it entered the atmosphere before breaking apart and landing in the forest before Ryner hailed a transmission to the Castle with Belle, Cilia, and Sapphire seen with her.

"Ryner hailing the Castle of Lions."

Babak then spoke about the object that entered orbit.

"Ryner, what was that?"

"A meteor-like object struck the forest outside the city. We're detecting high levels of an unknown toxin emanating from the impact site."

With that, Shiro spoke up next.

"I'll check it out."

* * *

Unfortunately, he was a bit late for that. The toxin corrupted the plants in the forest as they turned from green to purple before cob defrost on the payload and swallowed it just as the toxin spread to the whole forest and began to move to the city as Shiro hovered above the corrupt forest.

"I'm detecting movement up ahead. Babak, Coran, I'm going in for a closer look."

As he did, however, he noticed the source of the movements headed toward him like a tank before he spoke.

"Guys, we might have a big problem here."

"How big?"

The tank then fired a blast at Shiro before he dodged while speaking.

"Guys! Send out the team!"

* * *

As he dodged its fire, Kaecilius can see for himself through Shiro's eyes how well it was proceeding.

"From the look of things, the virus must've reached the city by now. And there's no doubt that the lions have mobilized. Truly, the dawn of a new age of warfare has begun. Move in slowly, Branko."

"Yes, Kaecilius."

* * *

As the Drule cruiser moved in, the Olkari began to be attacked by the vines as they took over the city while leaving the protected Castle untouched just as Matt and Sam went over to Babak and Coran.

"What's happening out there?"

"The forest appears to have come alive and is attacking the city."

"Where are the lions?"

Babak gave him the lowdown.

"Don't worry, Sam. I've already sent them to assist Shiro. As we speak, he's battling something in the forest."

* * *

Battling it, and having no luck. Shiro fires repetitive laser blasts once he evaded its fire, but it didn't do anything to pierce the armor just as the rest of the lions arrived and shot their laser blasts at the tank, causing it to roar before Pidge showed it to Ryner.

"Ryner, what are we looking at here?"

"I don't understand. That monster resembles one of our tree-mechs. It's as if the forest is being corrupted."

Hearing that word, Belle didn't have fond memories of being corrupted herself as she spoke, trying to determine the source.

"What do you think is causing it, Shiro?"

"It must have something to do with whatever that is emanating from the impact site."

Pidge found more evidence of it as she spoke up again.

"It looks like some sort of invasive plasma. Coran, have my dad and brother analyze the data I'm sending!"

"On it."

Then, Jenny spoke up as it fired.

"Duck!"

As they served away, Shiro spoke to the team.

"Hurry up, team. Let's form Voltron!"

Ayame then spoke up to him.

"Jenny and I'll keep it busy so you don't get shot too soon."

"Got it, Ayame!"

With that, the five lions came together while the White Lion occupied the tank before firing its photon cannon with the White Lion activating a particle barrier to shield itself just as Voltron charged in as Ayame spoke.

"All yours, Takashi!"

"Thanks, Ayame. Shield up!"

With that, Voltron activated the shield just as the creature started to fire again. However, the moment it did, it collided in point blank range with the shield, knocking both sides back before the monster growled as Shiro spoke to the team.

"Let's finish him!"

However, Hunk had difficulty moving.

"I can't move my leg, I mean, my Voltron leg!"

Allura was confronted with the same problem as she grunted.

"Neither can I! These vines are restricting our movements!"

Shiro then tried to check with Pidge.

"Pidge, can you get free?"

"Negative. They're everywhere."

With that, the vines began overtaking Voltron itself as Lance couldn't move either.

"Red's stuck too!"

Jenny and Ayame noticed this and tried to help as the former spoke.

"We'll help you guys!"

As the White Lion got closer however, the vines began going upward and trapping the White Lion as it pulled the vessel down hard on the ground before Jenny spoke.

"Or not!"

Allura then had an idea as she shouted.

"Separate into lions!"

"We can't! We're seized up! Trapped!"

With that, both Voltron and the White Lion were consumed into a cocoon before it lifted itself up as the tank headed towards the city as Hunk spoke.

"Wait. What's that sound?"

Jenny can make a guess as she spoke with the other paladins.

"My guess? It must be headed to the city."

Shiro made a guess of his own as to why as he spoke.

"And I think I know why. Ryner, is that ion cannon of yours operational?"

* * *

"No, it's still not finished. At best it could manage perhaps one shot."

"Well, make it count, 'cause that thing's headed right for you."

Hearing this, Sapphire began to panic as she trembled while Belle soothed her.

"It's okay. You'll be fine."

With that, Ryner activated the green ion cannon whilst targeting the creature.

"Targeting. Cannon charge at 30%. Power at 70%. Target acquired! Power at 95%, prepare to fire!"

However, before it could fire, the ion cannon deactivated.

"No! We're losing power! What's happening?"

Sapphire's screams got her attention as she shouted at the presence of dark vines invading the building.

"Scary vines!"

As Belle got Cilia and Sapphire away from the vines, she spoke to Ryner.

"What's happening?!"

"The ion cannon, all of our systems, they've been compromised!"

* * *

At the Castle, Pidge spoke to her family.

"Matt! Dad! These vines..."

"They're like a computer virus. From the data you sent, it appears the plasma substance is self-replicating organic wetware. Which creates a single-expanding system, giving it the ability to interface with nature the way the Olkari do."

"It's like a computer and a virus rolled into one."

Suddenly, the transmission went down, vexing Babak.

"Quiznak it all! Now Voltron is offline too!"

Sam then thought about what to do.

"If the plasma mass has the properties of a computer, there must be some way to hack into it and shut it down."

"Conceivably. If we could just figure out how to interface with it."

With that, Sam smiled at Matt as he had an idea in his head for how to do that.

* * *

In the cocoon, Jenny and Ayame tried connecting with the other paladins.

"Guys?! You okay in there?!"

"Can you read us?!"

Fortunately, in spite of Voltron and the White Lion being offline, Shiro was able to respond to them, as they spoke.

"Yeah. We can hear you."

"What are we gonna do? I ca- I can't move!"

"Listen! This virus is affecting Voltron on a sub-molecular level. To drive it out, we have to tap into the quantum energy that bonds is all to Voltron!"

Jenny grew curious on how to do that.

"But how do we do that?!"

"The bayards! They amplify each paladin's life force!"

Ayame then understood where she was getting at.

"Right. They might provide enough power to drive out the virus!"

Lance felt it might be worth the risk, given their position.

"It's worth a shot."

However, another problem arose as the cocoon was suddenly pulled into a tractor beam with the Drupe cruiser above them as Coran and Babak spoke.

"It's the Drule. This is all their doing."

"But how? Kaecilius was slain, wasn't he?"

* * *

At the hub, Matt and Sam met with Cilia, Sapphire, Belle, and Ryner as Belle and Ryner spoke.

"Took you long enough to get here."

"We're trying to interface with the vines to stop their growth, but we can't communicate with the nano-cellulose."

"We don't need to stop it. We just need to reroute it."

Belle found it difficult to do so, however.

"And how are we gonna do that, genius?"

Ryner, however, felt obliged to see this option in play.

"Grab a headpiece, show me."

With that, Matt, Sam, Belle, Cilia, and Sapphire put on the devices before he spoke.

"Alright. Follow my lead."

With that, they placed their hands upon the corrupt vines, although Sapphire was hesitant to do so at first before she saw the color change as she widened her eyes in joy.

"I did it, mommy! I did it!"

* * *

In the cocoon, Lance and the other paladins summoned their bayards before Lance engaged a countdown.

"Three, two, one!"

With that, they engaged their bayards to their switches before turning as a bright light overcame them.

* * *

In an astral plane, Lance gasped and exhaled as he saw Hunk, Pidge, Jenny, Allura, and Ayame appear in the plane with him, but Shiro was nowhere to be found as they began calling out for him with Allura speaking first.

"Shiro! Shiro!"

"Shiro!"

"Shiro!"

"Takashi!"

"Shiro!"

"Shiro!"

"Where are you?!"

Suddenly, a dark silhouette of Shiro appeared before the lights flowed brightly on the circles with Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny going back to reality, leaving Ayame and Lance alone in the plane with Shiro as he tried to speak to them.

"Lance! Ayame, listen to me!"

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

* * *

Before they could get their answer, they went back to reality before Voltron broke free, intriguing Kaecilius.

"So... Voltron is free. But I have to wonder... what do they know of this play?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ayame and Lance slowly stirred awake as Hunk, Jenny, Shiro, Allura, and Pidge spoke.

"We're back, baby!"

"I've never felt so alive!"

"Attack that cruiser!"

"Wait! What about that tree-beast?"

"Guys, we've got incoming!"

Suddenly, Ayame and Lance gasped as they both saw a green ion cannon firing at the cruiser before it tore through its walls and began to consume Branko as he yelled. With the cruiser destroyed, Belle, Ryner, Cilia, Sapphire, Matt, and Sam grew relieved as Matt and Belle spoke.

"Yes! We did it!"

"You're free to move, Shiro! Now take care of that tree-beast!"

"Got it, Belle! Let's finish this fight!"

* * *

As the tree-beast entered the city, it began firing at the hub just as the White Voltron arrived and blocked its fire with the particle barrier before Voltron charged at it and pushed it back as they shouted. After being pushed out of the city, however, the tree-beast saw the next best thing: having Voltron as a buffet as it caught Voltron's head and left hand while also catching the legs before Shiro spoke.

"Pidge, what's it doing?"

"The virus! It's trying to absorb Voltron!"

"I can't see anything!"

Jenny then tried to check for the other lions to try to help.

"Wait! Are any of the other lions free?!"

Pidge and Allura responded to them as the tree-beast prepared to swallow Voltron whole.

"It's got me!"

"Me, too!"

Then, Jenny and Allura realized who wasn't taken as they shouted his name.

"Wait a minute..."

"Lance!"

Lance, on the meantime, was preparing to fire at the tree-beast as he yelled before thrusting his bayard into the switch, firing a blast through its open mouth while creating a barrier of Quintessence before Voltron stood over the pile of vines before Jenny took a deep breath out of relief.

"Thank the ancients. I knew you could pull it off."

Ayame then grew confused about Jenny's other role as she spoke.

"You know, you could've helped."

"Yeah, I could have. But it's not all up to me."

* * *

Later, as the Olkari cleaned up the mess left by the tree-beast, the paladins were on top of Voltron with Sapphire in Jenny's lap while she was sitting by Lance and Ayame beside Shiro while Sam spoke to Matt and Pidge on a platform above Voltron.

"Kids, I need to talk to you again about returning to Earth."

"Dad..."

"No, listen. I understand now. And I couldn't be more proud. The whole universe is finding out what I've known all along. You two are something special."

With that, Matt and Pidge hugged their father before as the latter spoke.

"Oh, Dad..."

"And they need you. But I'm needed back on Earth."

This made Pidge widen her eyes before he explained.

"The Galaxy Garrison has to know what's going on out here. They need to get ready. There's a war coming."

"So this is goodbye?"

"For now."

In the meantime, Jenny and Lance sat up with Sapphire on top of her shoulders before the latter turned to Shiro.

"Hey, Shiro. What were you trying to tell me and Ayame in that void thing earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

Ayame knew what he was talking about as she spoke next.

"You were shouting at us, but we couldn't hear you."

"I don't know. Things went dark there for a second. But good work today. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."

This made Lance smile before cautiously looking back to Shiro as Jenny felt even more worried before sighing.

* * *

Later at the Castle, Jenny spoke with Belle about what how he snapped at Lance.

"He did what?"

"I know. That totally sounds like something Keith would do. And that's not all. He said he was the leader of Voltron, which we already knew, and that he was making this decision."

Remembering what Jenny told her about how Zarkon behaved similarly before, she tried to understand the reason for this.

"Well... maybe he's worried about you guys. I mean we are pretty close for it to be true."

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too."

"Still... if he's getting stressed... I think we should keep an eye on him, make sure the stress isn't getting to him."

"Sounds like a plan, sis."

* * *

At her lair, Haggar was visited upon by the generals as Ezor spoke.

"Look who we found."

With that, Sendak emerged from the shadows as he awaited her orders.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaecilius was not amused with the turn of events as he was calming himself with the room in scratches and Quintessence left on the scratches as he took a deep breath before he heard footsteps as he turned behind him.

"So, I take it you found a suitable replacement for Zarkon this time?"

Syn smirked at this as he stepped aside.

"As a matter of fact, I have. And I have a feeling you might know him."

And indeed he did. Kaecilius recognized the robotic arm and red-eyed glare from the figure as he stepped out of the shadows with the Drule Emperor smiling.

"Ah... its a pleasure to see you again... Vaxel."


	44. Kral Zera

**A/N: Hello. Just a heads-up, there'll be a new Galra commander that will have a larger role in the story later on. He is known as Kospego and will be voiced by Chris Ayres to give him that tyrannical feel, emperor or not. That'll be all.**

 **Chapter 43:** Kral Zera

At the Galra space station where Komar captured Jenny before, Zaltron, Keith, and Sandra were accompanied by Ilun, Caxas, and Jareth as the first of their company spoke.

"That's our target. As soon as it docks, we mobilize."

As the drones walked away, the group came down from the vent before they walked in to notice boxes of crates as Ilun spoke with Jareth reassuring her afterward.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Trust us, Ilun. It's been done before."

As the drones carried the boxes (along with a larger one for Zaltron's size) inside to the hangar bay, they set them down by the other boxes. Once they left and the doors closed, they broke out before Ilun spoke to Lapis.

"Good tip, Brother."

Then, they noticed a Galra soldier aiming his gun at them before Zaltron spoke his cue words to confirm that they're allies.

"The sun falls one day to give night its own time..."

The Galra soldier knew the rest of the words as he spoke.

"Just as night falls to let the day rise. Follow me."

As the soldier dropped his weapon, Sandra grew curious about how he convinced him.

"Hey, how did you tell him not to shoot us?"

"It's a code between fellow blades used to determine allies from enemies."

"Huh."

Then, Sandra realized another problem.

"Wait. There's too many of us. I don't think we should risk being seen all at once. We'll take turns."

This made Ilun go with her idea.

"Good thinking."

With that, one half of a group remained near the boxes while the rest of the group consisting of Keith, Sandra, and Ilun were taken to a control room before the soldier showed them a door above.

"This shaft will take you directly above the bridge."

Ilun nodded to him as she spoke.

"Thanks, Brother."

Suddenly, they heard Ranveig's voice as he spoke.

"The Archivist is taking too long to start the ceremony."

This made Sandra pressured as she quietly spoke.

"Everyone in, now."

With that, Sandra went in first before holding her hand out to pull Keith up just as Ilun went up next.

"If he waits much longer, the empire will descend into chaos."

When Ranveig entered, the soldier put his fist on his chest before he gave him an order.

"Make ready for takeoff."

With that, they snuck in the vents as Sandra spoke softly.

"Let's just hope the others will have better luck."

Fortunately, they were, as the Violet Lion held Rogue Thrust in a Galra cruiser as Lapis spoke.

"You don't have to worry, Sandy. We're right behind you."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Base: Xanthium, Kaecilius looked at his hand and saw it beginning to wither as he snarled before looking to Komar.

"Komar, I thought you prepared this body to its height in Quintessence."

"I have... but with the Quintessence we had left. We barely had any to begin with."

This frustrated him as he gripped the scientist by the collar and shook him.

"THEN GET ME MORE!"

Catching his temper, Kaecilius took a deep breath before he released Komar and spoke.

"Ahem. We can worry about that after the Kral Zera."

"Speaking of, I found a Druid of Haggar's and informed him of the ceremony that is to be displayed."

"And?"

"He's agreed to postpone it for those who deny its true emperor. For good."

This made Kaecilius weary as he spoke.

"And does he know of your allegiance to me?"

"I can assure you, try as he might to look inside my head, he won't find any answers."

This gave him cause for relief as he smiled.

"Perfect. But this mission is too important to leave to chance. So, just in case..."

With that, Kaecilius formed a dark orb and placed it over Komar's head before it blinded him in a white light as he screamed in agony.

* * *

At the Castle, Lotor was trying to convince them of the Kral Zera's importance.

"I'm telling you, Branko's dissension and wanton attack was only the beginning. With our father near death's door, more and more high-ranking officials are going to start lashing out and consolidating their power at the Kral Zera."

This made Hunk pause him as he spoke.

"Uh, just gonna hump in here. What exactly _is_ the Kral Zera? Is there food here? It sounds awful fancy."

Belle and Lotor knew otherwise.

"It's not a restaurant, Hunk."

"Belle is right. It's the coronation ceremony for a new emperor or empress. It is held on one of the first planets we, the Galra, have conquered. Planet Feyiv, a sacred land."

Then, Ayame spoke to Lotor about the matter.

"So, who's going to be at the Kral Zera?"

"Allow me to show you."

Before Lotor thought about doing so, he turned to Allura, aware that this isn't his Castle.

"May I, Princess?"

"Go ahead."

With that, Lotor pulled up a hotlist of deadly Galra officials.

"Warlord Ranveig is one of the fiercest Galra in the empire. That's why my father sent him to the fringes of the universe. He will already have several factions pledging their allegiance."

This made Lance and Jenny comment on this.

"Warlord, huh? I'm guessing you don't get that title by being nice."

"Gee, you think?"

Next, it showed a female Galra speaking with the drones as Lotor spoke.

"Commander Gnov was one of Zarkon's most trusted advisors next to Zygmar. She will be unifying Zarkon's inner circle of commanders. They know what they'll be getting with her."

"Let me guess: trouble?"

"Yes, Jennifer. A sort of trouble you've endured countless times on enemy lines. She's not as reckless as Warlord Ranveig, but she's just as cruel. Quartermaster Janka. He is responsible for overseeing supply routes throughout the empire. Don't let his stature fool you. His power is bureaucracy, and he should not be underestimated."

Pidge spoke up a detail about him.

"He keeps popping up in my database. His supply chain management is incredible. He definitely color codes."

Hunk felt it confusing a little.

"So, organized evil. Okay."

Then, Lotor brought up another commander.

"Another one who will appear is none other than Commander Kospego. A commander that rivals both Ranveig and Gnov in strength and intelligence, but when it comes to brutality, no one can match him. Before he ever fights, he analyzes his enemies' weak points and strikes there to make them suffer their final moments as they cling onto life before he kicks them off the proverbial ledge. When any of his men disappoints him, he shows those merciless attacks and murders toward them as an example of his own enemies as well. He has little to no tolerance for failure."

Belle grew very nervous around him.

"Something tells me he won't get any votes for best friend."

With that, Lotor finally went to a familiar face that tortured Jenny before as well as Zarkon's devoted emissary and high priestess.

"And, finally, Zarkon's witch, Haggar, and the creator of the Komar Experiment known as... Well, the name is self-explanatory."

After seeing him, Jenny grew tense.

"We've met before. He's the guy who turned me into a prune."

"Next to Haggar, Komar's the most dangerous of them all. Because his cells have been near-fatally damaged in battle, and therefore not eligible to rule, he more than likely has a puppet already. Someone he can control and manipulate. The same would go to Haggar. If the Galra were smart, they'd be working together against them. If either of their puppets takes over, then stopping Kaecilius' tyranny will all have been for naught."

Seeing enough of what they've been told, Shiro knew what needed to be done.

"Then we can't risk any of them assuming control. We should help Lotor take command of the Galra Empire."

Allura reminded him of her standing.

"Shiro, we've already discussed this. It's far too risky."

Lance then spoke up his idea.

"Yeah, why don't we let them fight amongst themselves a while before we do anything?"

This made Ayame speak against that.

"You know what we just went through on Olkarion, Lance, and that was just one rogue commander vying for the throne. When the entire empire lashes out, everyone in the universe on both sides suffers."

This made Jenny concerned about how to stop it.

"How would we even get Lotor there without stirring up a huge fight?"

Lotor then spoke of an idea to remedy this.

"I'll be bringing Voltron."

This made the Paladins widen their eyes before Hunk, Jenny, and Allura spoke.

"Yeah, because Voltron never gets in fights."

"I'm with Hunk on this. That doesn't sound too good of an idea."

"Shiro, we can't allow that to happen."

Shiro looked away and tensed a bit before he replied calmly.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

As he walked away, Jenny and Belle felt bad for him as Hunk spoke and the latter replied to him.

"Uh, what's up with Shiro?"

"Don't know, Hunk. But what I do know is that he's under a lot of pressure. He's just trying to keep everyone safe."

"Yeah. You can't blame him for wanting that. Right, Allura?"

Allura sighed at this before she replied.

"I don't know."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ranveig's cruiser and countless others were nearing the destination as its monitor showed a structure with a purple fire at the bottom of the precipice before he spoke.

"The Archivist has made the summons. Set a course for Planet Feyiv. It is time for me to burn with the glory of the Kral Zera, and take my place on the Galra throne."

As they overheard this, Adea spoke to Lapis quietly.

"Kral Zera? Planet Feyiv? What's going on?"

"A coronation, Adea. But why would it happen so soon? Zarkon must be in trouble for it to happen so quickly."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, Zarkon stood under the flames of the Kral Zera beside the Archivist as countless Galra commanders joined in before Gnov belittled Janka.

"Avert your gaze. The throne is for real fighters."

"I've conquered more worlds than you've ever seen with just the swipe of my finger."

* * *

Just as the Galra cruiser prepared to land, Lapis spoke to her group.

"Alright, when we get down there, we'll set one explosive on each load-bearing beam. They work on a timer. Once we set them, we have to bolt immediately. Understand?"

This earned a salute from Adea as she spoke.

"Understood!"

* * *

As the cruiser landed, Janka noticed two faces above the steps.

"Emperor Zarkon! And the Archivist!"

With that, the Archivist got their undivided attention as Zarkon looked at the crowd for his children while he spoke out to them.

"Through 33 rulers, during times if peace and times of expanse, this flame has burned for over 13 millennia. From our first, Beodar, to Vrig the Great, and longest and most powerful of all... Zarkon. But soon, his time will pass."

This was made evident as the flame burned out behind them.

"As per tradition, our next ruler must ascend the Steps of Destiny and light the Kral Zera."

As a commander walked up after a moment of silence, he was stopped by one of Ranveig's sickle implanted through his back before he was tossed away.

"Fool! Only the strongest may lay their hands on the torches. That is why _I_ will assume command."

In Zarkon's renewed opinion, he knew better than to call such savagery strength. But with him put on the sidelines by tradition, he could only hold his tongue and watch them as Ranveig spoke on.

"I have been on the frontlines of the expanse, where iron meets soul, spreading the glory of the empire, not huddled in the center overseeing already-conquered worlds, growing fat on the victories of our forefathers."

As he raised the torch, Komar, who is joker with Syn, Varek, Vantiv, and Sendak (who now has an upgrade for his arm), spoke out to him.

"Warlord Ranveig speaks the truth. That is why Vaxel, the purest of the Galra, should light the flame. He was fear incarnate for millennia, and he will lead the empire in his place for 10,000 more years to come."

Next, Haggar spoke up, introducing Sendak in the mix.

"Your claim is false, Komar. Sendak is the only one here who fits this description. _He_ was Zarkon's right hand. Surely only _he_ is worthy of the throne."

Janka knew who they were and grew concerned.

"The warlock and Vaxel. Not to mention the witch and Sendak. Perhaps we should put our differences behind us. The only way we can stop these two is by working together."

Gnov felt differently however.

"Why would I partner with the weak?"

As Janka resented it, Kospego made a dark laughter as he emerged, revealing a face with raven hair over his face with red irises over his yellow eyes in a similar outfit as Ranveig's, save for the shoulder pads.

"Sendak? The one who disappeared while the Empire crumbled? The one who requires a witch to speak on his behalf? Even Vaxel is more pure than he is."

"Enough! Victory or death!"

Knowing how fearsome he must be, Kospego knew he had to analyze his opponent first.

"So be it. Ranveig, I'll let you take it from here. Vaxel is mine."

As Kospego walked to Vaxel, his opponent smiled before he spoke.

"I've heard tales of you, Kospego. Let's see if you live up to them."

"Now you will know why Zarkon put me in the most dangerous territory in the universe."

With that, Ranveig drew out his other sickle before he spun them and spread out the blades away from his face as he smiled before they engaged with Kospego engaging Vaxel as he drew two blades from his sleeves and rushed at him with rapid slashes, unfazing Vaxel as his new armory shielded his cuts before Vaxel attempted to swing at him, only for him to touch a nerve on his neck after dodging, causing him to be unable to move, granting the foe reason to smile before pushing him back. As they fought, Sendak knocked Ranveig away with his new hand before walking toward him. While this occured, Kospego attempted to strike him down, only for Vaxel to launch his synthetic arm at his face, knocking him back before he got himself up and swiped his mouth of the blood that came from the attack.

"Well done. You're the first person to make me bleed in combat. Besides Emperor Zarkon, of course."

* * *

Underneath the ceremony, Keith, Lapis, Sandra, and the other Blades clasped the bombs on the pillars as Adea spoke with Lapis.

"So, Lapis? What's the big deal about the Kral Zera?"

"Like I said, it's meant to choose a new ruler for the Galra Empire. But with too many of his commanders vying to seize power, we just can't take the risk."

"Even if it means destroying Zarkon in the process?"

Lapis grew hesitant to answer before she sighed.

"Look, Zarkon wouldn't have wanted his empire to fall in the wrong hands. For some reason, this is their best solution. Hopefully, Voltron will come up with a better one."

With that, they finished another set before Lapis spoke.

"Alright. On to the next."

Once they finished planting explosives, they began to take off just as a Druid appeared and glared at them as he growled.

* * *

In the Green Lion hangar, Pidge and Hunk were working in the computers before she looked over to Hunk's and noticed something off.

"Hunk, what are you doing?"

"Why are you single-modulating the gendocam?"

"Settle down, Pidge. It's a gendicam, not a vlexagane, okay? Single-modulating is fine."

"You should double-modulate everything."

"Are you crazy? That's a waste of a button-press."

Just then, San walked by them as he spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt."

However, Pidge wasn't as she spoke to him.

"Hey, Dad, real quick. How do you reconfigure a gendocam?"

"Oh, great question. Well, you start off by double-modulating—"

"A-ha! I told you!"

This made Hunk lower his eyes and give a frown as Sam realized what's going on.

"Ah. Modulating arguments. That's how your mother and I met."

This made Pidge and Hunk look at each other weird before Sam spoke again.

"Anyway, have either of you seen Shiro? I wanna go over my report to the Galaxy Garrison one last time with him and Belle before I leave."

"I haven't seen him since he stormed off the bridge."

"I've never seen him like that. I know Belle told us he's just worried, but that was weird. It was almost as weird as double-modulating."

As Hunk enunciated those last two words, Pidge frowned at this before setting up a transmission with Allura.

"Hey, Princess, do you know where Shiro is?"

"Let me check."

As she did, she noticed he wasn't there.

"He isn't on the ship. His lion's gone, too."

For her, it was easy to come up with another important question.

"Where's Lotor?"

* * *

At the Kral Zera, Sendak bested Ranveig as Kospego smirked before the victor spoke as he pointed his claw at the loser.

"You are defeated. The empire is mine."

At the same time, Vaxel held his sword at Kospego's neck before he spoke.

"Do you yield?"

"I do, but not to death. Your power will be worth working for. Of course, Sendak wouldn't agree."

* * *

As the Blades finished setting up the bombs on the outside, Lapis spoke to the group to which Ilun replied next.

"All set on my end."

"Activating timers on the explosives."

* * *

At the ceremony, Sendak took the flame and walked up the steps as he glared at Zarkon who looked at him with sorrow before he turned to the Galra and shouted.

"I will strengthen the Empire, as no one else can!"

However, another commander, Trugg, spoke against him.

"Stop! You cannot light the torch without facing my blades."

As she charged at him, Sendak fired two blasts at her before she jumped, something Sendak counted on before he targeted her with his robotic eye before firing a third shot at her, knocking her to the floor as he glared at the others, daring them to challenge him. Vaxel would've taken his cue were it not for the roar of the Black Lion as it descended to the ceremony and landed, putting out the torch that Sendak carried before Zarkon grew surprised, just as Keith and Lapis ran out to see the Black Lion as he spoke his name.

"Shiro. Ilun, Zaltron! We have to stop! Shiro is out there!"

Ilun, however, gave a bit of bad news toward this.

"It's too late. My bombs are armed and the timer is set."

Lapis then spoke to her.

"Then tell them to turn them off! We can't let the death of a Paladin of Voltron be on our heads!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Black Lion opened its mouth to reveal Lotor and Ayame together, much to the relief of Zarkon as he spoke.

"My children..."

Unfortunately, Sendak recognized one of them, too.

"Lotor."

"Halt! Your true emperor has arrived."

As Lotor and Ayame stepped out of the Black Lion with the Galra and Komar's faction watching, Vaxel mocked him with a laugh first.

"You? Lead the Galra Empire? What could possibly make you think that you could be our emperor?"

"The blood of my father's greatest foe was not just in his veins for 10,000 years. It's now also on my sword. The emperor of tyranny fell to me and so will anyone that stands in my way."

Sendak took his turn next to scorn Lotor, but to no avail.

"You think nepotism makes you qualified to lead us?"

"I will light the flame, not for defeating Kaecilius and not even for being the strongest Galra here. But because I did something no one else can do. I return the Black Lion to the Galra. Stand aside, Sendak."

During the long silence, Kospego had procured an idea. No doubt a battle was going to take place. If he can analyze both Lotor and Sendak, the throne would surely be Vaxel's, if not his. With that, Sendak spoke up.

"Time to prove yourself through honorable rite of combat."

"No! Time to end this."

Haggar then interrupted Lotor with a shout.

"Enough! You must realize it's futile coming here. You cannot lead the Galra even if you wanted to."

"You think you can stop me, witch?"

"The blood that so bolsters your claim is also what quells it."

Komar then chimed in next.

"For once, I couldn't agree more. You are not pure Galra. You are a half-breed, the weakest of them all. Your mother was Honerva, and by giving life to you, you are known as the worst stain of the Galra Empire in recorded history!"

This made Ayame tense in anger before Lotor stopped her with his hand before he spoke.

"Everyone here knows my lineage, but that will not keep me from the throne, least of all you, you damaged creature of burden."

* * *

This earned Komar's snarl while below, Keith, Lapis, Adea, and the other blades were dismantling the bombs before they heard dark laughter behind them. When they turned around, they saw no one but a countless multitude of bombs set to go off before Adea turned to Luzria.

"Did you hear it?"

"That creepy laugh? Yeah. Who didn't hear that?"

Just then, a Druid appeared as he laughed again before they looked to see him as Adea spoke.

"Uh, guys? We've got a problem!"

* * *

Above, Lotor declared war on Sendak.

"Now I'm taking what's rightfully mine. I am lighting that flame, and my first act as emperor will be to reunite you with your late General!

"You're not getting to the top of these steps!"

As Sendak charged at Lotor and Ayame, they got their weapons ready before clashing with each other.

* * *

Below, Keith and the others managed to disable their bombs before Adea and Luzria were knocked back toward them as they noticed the Druid. Just then, Ilun and Zaltron arrived before the former spoke.

"What are you doing? We have to go!"

"We're kinda stuck at the moment!"

To prove this, the Druid fired a blast at Keith while hitting the hand that blocked it, breaking the bones of it as it earned his screams of pain and knocked him back before Atchiam took charge and attempted to punch him, only for him to vanish, making her hit a pillar before it came down. After which, he reappeared and zapped her in the back, knocking her to the ground before Adea got out her luxite scythe and charged at him as she yelled out.

* * *

Above, Lotor dodged Sendak's swipes while Ayame slashed her naginata at him. However, Sendak saw this coming and gripped it before tossing her away before attacking Lotor who tossed his sword at him before he countered it. Lotor used this opportunity to jump near him while retrieving his sword in midair and attempting a downward slash, only for Sendak to swipe his claw at him, sending him backward before attempting to smash his claw into Lotor only to hit the ground just as Ayame moved in closer to him and slashed her naginata at him, forcing him to dodge with a backward bend before he and Ayame countered each other's attacks from their weapons, allowing Lotor enough time to ground Sendak's claw with his broadsword before he spoke.

"You don't even know what you are, Sendak. So loyal, so brave, and yet so stupid."

"I know exactly what I am. I am a warrior!"

With that, he charged his weapon before firing at the ground, sending both siblings back as Zarkon grew worried for them as he widened his eyes before Lotor spoke.

"You are nothing but Haggar's puppet!"

With that, Lotor moved in to strike only for Sendak to launch his claw at him, a weapon of which he was able to counter before Ayame shouted.

"Look out!"

Suddenly, Sendak moved in himself before striking Lotor to the top of the steps before he jumped near him and the siblings charged toward Sendak while he charged toward them again.

* * *

Below, Lapis looked at Keith's broken hand from the blast and checked to see if he was alright while Adea occupied the Druid.

"Keith, are you okay?"

"I... I don't know."

As Keith groaned from it, Adea spun her scythe rapidly to repel the lightning before she moved in to strike him before he teleported. However, Adea saw his trick coming as she raised her scythe bear her and spun it before the lightning could get to her. However, the lightning that sparked near her was blinding and it caused her to groan as it began to burn a side of her face before the Druid noticed the bombs' timer and vanished before Adea pushed herself forward a bit, fumbling a step before holding her hand close to her face and turning to the group.

"Hey. Where'd he go?"

Caxas spoke to her as he shouted.

"Never mind that! The bombs are about to go off!"

As they noticed, Lapis spoke to the group as Ezor joined with Adea.

"We need to leave now!"

Adea couldn't agree more.

"Escape!"

* * *

As they took off from the bombs, Lotor and Ayame were forcing Sendak back before he attempted to strike them, only to hit the ground as Ayame jumped back while Lotor jumped above him and attempted to strike back only for Keith to push Lotor away as the other Blades jumped out of the doorway before an explosion was set off and headed towards Sendak before they fell on the steps. As this happened, multiple explosions went off near the Kral Zera before Keith and Lotor got themselves up before the former noticed Ayame as she did him.

"Keith?"

"Ayame?"

Suddenly, Sendak roared as he broke free from a pile of rubble with a grunt before seeing Lapis among the group of Blades that infiltrated the Kral Zera before she saw him. And the moment she did, her memories of torture and agony, ranging from her family's slaughter to his abuse toward her cane back to her and made her all the more furious.

"You!"

"You!"

Sendak knew it meant one thing.

"Lotor has betrayed us to Voltron! Fire on the Black Lion!"

This made Lapis all the more flustered before she got her luxite longsword and charged at him.

"No!"

As Lapis began fighting Sendak, countless Galra cruisers began firing on the Black Lion before Shiro spoke.

"I gotta draw their fire."

As it took off, Gnov turned to Komar before preparing to fire at him, only for Vantiv to fire a small quintessential blast at the bow on her arm before she lunged at her while Varek got out his aura scythe before slashing them away with the backlash of the winds in one fell swoop. As the Galra began fighting each other, they spoke out orders to shoot their opposition as Kospego watched the fireworks with glee, each of his foes removing themselves as Vaxel grew impressed.

"Commander Trugg's fleet has opened fire!"

"Watch our for their left flank!"

"Return fire immediately!"

"Fire on Gnov!"

"Hmm. What beautiful fireworks. A lot less of my enemies to worry about."

"Hmm. You intended this, didn't you?"

"Hmm. How did you guess?"

* * *

As Kospego and Vaxel watched, Shiro activated the Black Lion's jaw blade before it dismantled some Galra cruisers as Lotor watched as well.

"This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I knew they would all turn on each other."

Then, they heard grunting behind them as Sendak gripped Lapis in his claw and slammed her on the steps before Lotor, Keith, and Ayame moved away as the Brother looked to the remainder.

"I'll fend off Sendak with your friend."

With that, Lotor went after Sendak before kicking him away from Lapis who grew flustered at this.

"Stay out of this, Lotor! He's mine!"

"When was that ever your call? Although, I wouldn't mind if I had your cooperation."

As Sendak got up, he snarled before Lapis was forced to agree to it.

"Fine, but only because he needs to pay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith and Ayame found themselves attacked by Gnov as Keith blocked her attack, causing his mask to short out before his face was revealed and the pain from his broken hand to get worse, much to Ayame's concern as she was forced to block Gnov's attack and push her back before she and Keith went after her. While this happened, Sendak swung at Lapis and Lotor before the former lunged at him with an overhead slash, one of which Sendak blocked as he spoke to her.

"After all I've done for you, how could you have turned out like this?"

"You robbed me of my life, Sendak! How'd you expect me to turn out?!"

"Killing you would be too merciful. Once I'm emperor, I'm going to keep you and Lotor as my slaves!"

"I was your slave once before, Sendak. Never again!"

* * *

This made Sendak angry as he swung his claw up, knocking a chunk of the steps upward and sending Lotor and Lapis back before Gnov swung at Ayame and Keith, causing the latter to get a bad grip on his sword due to the effects of the Druid's previous attack before Ayame saw his danger.

"Keith!"

And he wasn't the only one. Acxa noticed this too as Ayame stood on between him and Keith just before Gnov attempted to smite her. Before she cold, however, Acxa shot the sword away from her, giving Ayame the opportunity to knock Gnov back with her naginata and sent her tumbling down the steps before she helped lifted Keith up before they turned to see Acxa as they smiled at her before she took off and Keith spoke.

"I could've handled it, you know."

This made Ayame smile before looking to his hand as she spoke next.

"Your hand..."

"Someone ambushed us before the bombs went off."

"Did you see who it was?"

"No. It must be one of those Druids Haggar had before. But why would he retreat?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Acxa went back to Haggar and spoke to her.

"Should we go get Sendak?"

"Leave him. The empire has fallen."

At that same moment, Syn spoke to Komar.

"What about Vaxel?"

"Leave him be. We may have lost our opportunity to claim the throne, but at the very least, we get to watch the Galra Empire rot from the inside. However... Lotor is still going to be a major problem. We shall allow him a brief respite for now, but he must be dealt with permanently."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiro was having difficulty fending off the cruisers as he took damage.

"There's too many. I can't handle them all myself."

With that, a wormhole opened up before the rest of the lions arrived as Lance spoke.

"Looks like you could use some help!"

With that, Lance fired a blast at a fighter before Hunk smashed another as he spoke next.

"We got your back, Shiro!"

"Okay, Team. Let's form Voltron!"

With that, the five lions combined into Voltron while the White Lion went in its robot form as they decimated the Galra cruisers with Sendak taking notice of it and growled as Lapis shouted.

"SENDAK!"

With that, Lotor and Lapis leaped after him before Sendak took a chunk of land and flung it at them before firing a blast to make a smokescreen. However, while Lotor flipped backward, Lapis went through the dust before slamming her sword down on the ground, only to find that Sendak had gone.

"NO! Come out and face me, coward!"

As Lapis grew angry, Adea noticed this and saw for herself how Sendak affected her as not long after her shout, she began to sob before she tried to comfort her.

"Hey. It'll be alright. The next time we see him, we'll bring him in."

Adea only pushed her hand away before she glared at her.

"No. The next time we see him, Sendak is going to die."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sendak saw Quartermaster Janka running to a fighter before he gripped him with us claw over a cliff and briskly walked over to him before his victim noticed.

"Sendak, I— We could work together. Brains and brawn. A joint rulership. Stronger than any the empire has ever seen."

However, Sendak already knew what he wanted.

"Your fleet is mine."

With that, he dropped the Quartermaster as he screamed.

"No!"

Having dispatched of Janka, Sendak walked away from where he fell.

* * *

At the Steps of Destiny, Lotor walked up with Ayame, Keith, Lapis, and Rogue Thrust watching as he carried the torch before the two Voltrons landed near the spire and watched as Lotor carried the torch before he spoke to his father.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop this, Father."

Zarkon only placed his hand on his shoulder as he spoke.

"It's not over yet. The ceremony is still at hand. We'll worry about the insurgents another day. For now, they have their agency. We will respect that."

With that, Lotor lit the flame with determination before the Archivist spoke as he bowed.

"The flame is lit. Bow to your next emperor."

With that, the Galra that remained bowed down to Lotor as the newly lit Kral Zera burned as bright as day.


	45. Of Scars and Bloodlines

**A/N: Hello. We are getting very close to seeing Voltron Season 8 just next week. I can't believe that it's gonna be over soon. I am really going to miss it. :( Just for the record, I don't know what sort of role the creature in this episode will have in Season 8, so I anticipated and made a new one. Note: It will be subject to change once I finish the whole story, along with some of its many chapters. Other than that, I hope we can all take comfort in knowing that Voltron will live on in our hearts, for the sake of the universe... Also, I altered the chapter Trinity of Blades so that I don't reveal the identity of Keith's mother too soon. Hopefully more updates will come before I send the final chapter of Season 5 and before Season 8 comes out.**

 **Chapter 44:** Of Scars and Bloodlines

At the Blade of Marmora headquarters, Lapis was pacing back and forth in the room muttering to herself as her team and Keith watched.

"Unbelievable! Just... terrific!"

As she mumbled, Sandra leaned in to Adea's ear before whispering.

"What's gotten into her?"

"During the Kral Zera, Lapis fought Sendak and failed to get him, and she's been angry ever since."

Suddenly, Lapis tossed a sword near Adea, making her panic before she hid under the bed before she berated herself.

"How could I be so careless?! I had him in my sights and I lost him!"

Atchiam, seeing how close the Blade cane to hitting Adea, felt it was getting to be too much.

"Look, I usually enjoy a good rage episode, trust me. But you need to relax!"

Atchiam's action that pushed Lapis back didn't help one bit.

"I don't want to relax! I want Sendak dead! I thought you of all people would understand that!"

"I do! But that's no reason to let your temper out on any of us!"

Having had enough of Atchiam's words, Lapis shoved her away before she got her luxite longsword out and raised it against Atchiam.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Suddenly, just before she could strike Atchiam, a luxite fist claw halted her blade before they turned to see Kolivan and Sneren as the latter spoke.

"All of you, come with us. Now."

This made Lapis growl before she, Sandra, and Keith went over to them with the rest following close by as the sister spoke to Adea.

"Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"We'll talk later."

* * *

At the Castle, Sam was preparing to leave as the Paladins, Belle, Babak, Coran, Cilia, and Sapphire were seeing him off as Shiro spoke.

"We're going to miss you out there, sir."

"Ah, you guys seem to be fine without me. Your mission is here. Mine is on Earth. As soon as I get back, I'll inform the Galaxy Garrison of what's going on and start working to upgrade our planetary defenses."

Belle then spoke to him as she was told about how Shiro was welcomed.

"Tell Sanda that the next time I see her, I'm going to kick her butt for having Iverson strap Shiro to that table."

As Shiro grew embarrassed and Pidge and Matt smiled, Sam laughed a bit before he spoke.

"I'll be sure to tell her that."

With that, Hunk and Jenny stepped up as they presented small file drives.

"Hey, Jenny and I had everyone record some messages for our families. Uh, a little heads-up, I got teary in mine, so... that's Mom's eyes only."

"Of course."

"Oh! And I got this drive for Ayame's family. Granted, they weren't her biological family, but still."

Then, Sam spoke to Jenny about a certain detail about them.

"Jenny, you do know that Ms. Nakamura's relationship with Ayame is... strained, right?"

"Yeah. That's why I made it. She has to know what she's doing for her and her family. If she can't acknowledge all of the good she's done, then it's her problem."

Ayame frowned at Jenny as she spoke.

"I still don't know how you managed to talk me into this. We haven't spoken since Kumiko..."

"Kicked the bucket, I know. But it'll be good for the both of you. Trust me. You both need this."

This made Ayame hold her head down before smiling lightly as she spoke.

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."

As a tidbit, Hunk spoke up next about Lance's file.

"Oh, and you don't wanna see Lance's, either, since it's just a love message to Jenny Shaybon."

Hearing this, Jenny began to blush while Lance glared at Hunk.

"W-What?"

"Shut up, Hunk!"

"Okay, I was just joking around. Jeez."

As Jenny was about to ask him about the message, she noticed him in a dismal state before she spoke.

"Lance, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just... Once I started thinking about going back to Earth, I... I started missing my mom and brother Marco and my brother Luis and my sister Veronica and my grandma and..."

Before he could finish, Jenny hugged him, stopping him before she spoke up.

"I get it. I miss my family, too. My mom and my dad and Grandpop..."

However, as she spoke, Jenny was unable to stop her own waterworks, triggered by the guilt of how long she'd forgotten about them, and tried to wipe them away as Lance noticed.

"I... I..."

Before she could finish, Lance hushed her and brushed her hair back gently as Jenny tried to hide her tears in that moment to try to be strong for Lance.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm not crying. It's just... just the space dust. It's really dusty in here.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to patch up the tear ducts as Jenny found comfort again from his care as she smiled as did the other Paladins, Coran, Babak, Belle, and Sam before the father spoke to his children, with Matt speaking up next.

"I guess this is it."

"I wish I could go with you. I'd love to help build Earth's first galactic defense system."

"I'm just worried we won't have enough time and resources to make a dent before we need it."

Pidge then spoke up about what her father said.

"A wise man once told me, 'if you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss your chance to do something great.'"

Hearing this made Sam give a smile of his own as he replied.

"Sounds like a wise man, indeed. Matt, you be careful on the front lines. And, Pidge, keep an eye on your brother for me."

"You got it, Dad."

Suddenly, he began whimpering before Sam began a group hug with his children.

"I love you both so much."

"We love you, too, Dad."

With that, Hunk, Coran, and Babak hugged Jenny and Lance while Belle, Ayame, Shiro, and Allura smiled at this as the huggers spoke.

"There... there is a lot of space dust in here."

Coran then sailed before he spoke.

"It's filthy!"

"How did we neglect... (sniffle) such an abnormal amount... (sniffle) of dust particles?!"

As Sam used the pod to enter a wormhole to Earth, he looked back at Matt and Pidge before he went inside it.

* * *

Later on, Keith, Lapis, and Rogue Thrust were at the main hub with Kolivan, Vrathrea, and Sneren as the councilman spoke to them before the councilwoman.

"This particular base was, until recently, run by a Galra commander named Ranveig. From what we know, he was developing a super weapon of some sort."

"We're not entirely certain of what it is or what it can do, but we do know that it is incredibly powerful."

Keith grew curious about the source of this knowledge, of which Sneren explained.

"How did we learn all this?"

"We have a spy in Ranveig's camp who's managed to acquire high-level security clearance. Since Ranveig's departure, it's possible she assumed control of the base, but we can't be sure."

"Why not?"

"Because we're not the only ones who know of the weapon. We've recently discovered that a former blade has infiltrated the base as well. I think you know him quite well."

With that, Sneren revealed a familiar bearded Galra face only with a goatee and a scar on his face as Lapis, Sandra, and Keith spoke.

"Xarnas."

"He's alive?"

"How?"

"And he's not in this fight for the weapon alone. Three Galra factions, led by Commanders Trugg, Ladnok, and Vaxel, are at war over the territory. Since their fighting began, all communication has been cut off."

Lapis grew annoyed at the reason they're here, constipated that Sendak is still alive.

"And you asked us here why?"

"We need you and Rogue Thrust to infiltrate the base, extract our spy, take Xarnas in, and destroy Ranveig's weapon."

Then, Vrathrea spoke up to Lapis, already sending the tension she went through at the Kral Zera.

"Lapis, this is extremely important. If either of them acquire this weapon, it could tip the balance of power in their favor. So you cannot allow your feelings to cloud your judgment."

"When have I ever—?!"

"You have when you fought Sendak. Your father was the same way when he fought Kaecilius on Arus. He told us about his exploits. He only stopped because he heard a voice of reason: yours. Beyond that, the mission is the only thing that matters. Emotions are a luxury none of us can afford."

"No offense, but the only mission that matters to me is the death of Sendak. And the sooner we get this done, the sooner I get to end him."

This concerned Lapis' team as Adea bore a look of worry, Atchiam got a suspicious look, and Luzria felt bad for her before Sneren spoke again.

"Be that as it may, this is the operative you'll be contacting. Her name is Krolia."

This made the trio shocked before Adea spoke to Lapis.

"Oh my gosh! That's our teacher!"

Lapis cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Keep your happiness to yourself, Adea. The mission is the only thing that matters."

As Adea got taken aback, she felt scared around Lapis before she spoke.

"We'll get on it right away."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Central Command, the Castle was headed right for it as Lance and Hunk spoke.

"I can't believe we're flying into the belly of the beast."

"It's strange to think that last time we were here we were fighting the Galra. Now we're working with them."

Jenny felt it weird, too, albeit for her own reasons.

"Yeah. I mean, I always hope that we'd be on the same side, but still... I wasn't prepared for how it'd turn out."

Allura and Alphus knew how to go about it, however.

"We have to do everything we can to support Lotor. This is our chance to promote a new era of peace."

"Let's hope we can make it work for real."

With that, the Castle docked itself in just as the Paladins, Belle, Babak, Coran, and Alphus saw Zarkon and Lotor in front of them, before the son spoke to the Paladins.

"Thank you for coming, my friends. My father and I have prepared a new imperial banner to herald our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Paladins of Voltron. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age."

Then, Belle felt worried there was going to be bad news.

"Then, why don't I get the feeling it's possible yet?"

"Unfortunately, since I ascended to the throne, the Galra Empire has been torn apart. A sizable portion has sworn its allegiance to me. However, massive factions remain in revolt."

Hunk, Lance, and Ayame spoke of the difficulty they'd present.

"Uh, okay, the Galra aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek."

"They're more likely to swing the other fist."

"How do you get an Empire that's only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?"

"By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for: Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it. And, Allura, Alphus, you two are the key to getting it. I'm sure you'll be interested in inspecting every aspect of the Galra headquarters."

Belle then spoke up.

"Well, Shiro and I would like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations."

"Consider it done."

Coran felt this to be off, as did Babak.

"You want to sync our intelligence to Galra headquarters?"

"Well, I never thought I'd see the quiznaking quintant!"

Ayame then spoke up next.

"I'd like to help them out, too. If there are any troops that need help, they can count on us."

"Of course. Sentry, take them to the record room. You will find everything you need there."

"Okay. Thank you."

With that, Shiro, Belle, Ayame, Babak, and Coran went with the sentry as Lotor turned to the rest of the group.

"I'm leaving you with personal escort that will take you wherever you'd like to go. Come, both. There is much work to be done."

With that, Allura and Alphus walked with Lotor as Lance sighed before he looked over to Jenny as she spoke.

"Well, at least you've got me."

"Yeah."

"Oh! By the way, what was that love message?"

This made Lance nervous before he spoke.

"Uh, that's personal info! And I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it yet!"

"Okay, Lance. Geez."

Then, Hunk spoke to the sentry.

"So we're free to roam around Galra HQ and have some fun?"

"What is fun?"

Lance then made a smile as he spoke.

"You're about to find out."

Jenny got the gist of it just as Pidge pointed out the flaw in this.

"Oh, I see where you're going with this."

"Guys, it's a robot. It can't have fun."

Jenny then twitched her eyebrows, trying to help Pidge get he idea herself.

"Unless... I reprogram it."

"Bingo. We haven't had our own adventures since we left the Garrison. Maybe it's time we cut loose again. Just like old times."

This made Hunk encouraged by this.

"Take us to the sentry repair center!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Keith, Sandra, Lapis, and Rogue Thrust were caught in the middle of the war zone between the three factions as Vaxel talked down to Trugg and Ladnok.

"We have you surrounded, Trugg, Ladnok. Personally, I don't believe any further bloodshed is required, but Kospego doesn't feel the same way. Stand down, and he will take his finger off the trigger he's anxiously waiting to press it down on while I absorb your fleets into mine."

"Do you take us for fools, Vaxel?"

"You, Trugg, and I both know Ranveig developed a weapon capable of conferring an insurmountable advantage on either of us. And we both know it's located somewhere on his base."

"Indeed we do. And we also know that your days are numbered. You cannot achieve victory. Death is your only outcome."

"I will possess Ranveig's weapon or I will die on the attempt."

"You're the one who cannot win, Vaxel. And my first act when I get the weapon is to use it on you."

With that, the transmissions ended as Vaxel smirked.

"I'm afraid you are more wrong than either of you could have been. Kospego, destroy what's left of them. I have a weapon to retrieve."

"Hmm. I thought you'd never ask."

With that, Kospego shot down the other ships with the ion cannon while Vaxel went in a pod and jettisoned himself down to the planet where the base laid.

* * *

At the command center, Pidge and Hunk finished up on reprogramming the sentry.

"Reconfigured processor inserted."

"Check."

"All required for optimal performance."

"Checkity-check."

"Now, just gotta upload the new program, and... alright. I'm finished."

With that, Pidge and Hunk doin around before high-giving their hands.

"Yeah! Team Punk does it again!"

This made Jenny confused as she spoke.

"'Team Punk?' Sounds like a rock band. But, good for you, I guess. Now, how do we know if it worked?"

With that, the sentry restarted and got up, making Pidge fall to the floor on her forehead before it spoke.

"You dum-dums got any non-lethal, semi-combustible diversionary devices?"

This made Jenny and Lance confused as they spoke.

"Uh..."

"What?"

Pidge and Hunk, however, knew what it meant.

"I think he's... looking for firecrackers!"

"Oh, it worked."

Jenny grew ecstatic about that as she spoke.

"Yeah! We got a new buddy!"

Later on, a bomb was strapped to a food packet as it beeped with Hunk, Pidge, the Sentry, Jenny, and Lance hiding behind a table before it exploded, sending the food everywhere before they shouted.

"Awesome!"

"Whoo-hoo!"

"That was sweet."

"Amazer-beams!"

"What next?"

Then, Lance spoke to Hunk to answer the sentry's question.

"Hunk, hand me another packet of food goo."

As he did so, they heard one of two soldiers calling to them.

"Halt!"

This made Jenny surprised as she spoke.

"Cheese it! It's the fuzz!"

"You are being detained for unsafe sustenance preparation."

Jenny then shouted at them as she shook her fist.

"Let's see you send me back to jail, coppers!"

The sentry couldn't agree more.

"Scram."

With that, they all took off on a hover cart as Hunk spoke.

"This robot is sweet!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Violet Lion went to the war zone with Keith, Lapis, Sandra, and Rogue Thrust inside as the first two spoke.

"Looks like things have escalated between the three of them."

"It might be best to try to blend in with the debris. Don't wanna attract any fire. Luzria, activate cloaking."

"Got it. Here goes nothing."

With that, the Violet Lion cloaked itself amidst the chaos while the factions shot each other down before they made it to the planets surface only to be suddenly blasted by an ion cannon in the back before they groaned as Lapis spoke.

"Brace for impact!"

As Lapis took control of the helm, she managed to pull up and make a controlled crash as the paws dig deep in the planet's surface before they got out as Lapis held her hand on it.

"It'll be okay, Vi. Get your rest. You need it. For now."

After giving the Violet Lion some rest, the group went inside the base as Krolia showed the sentries to the door before she felt as though someone was watching her as she turned around before Adea backed up just as she decided to show them out. At the same moment, Xarnas walked toward the Keith and the others as they went forward a bit. However, Sandra felt it coming and she got her luxite katana out before drawing it near Xarnas who found himself holding his gun at Sandra while holding his luxite dagger to Krolia before he spoke to both parties.

"Krolia. Sandra."

"Xarnas. Krolia."

With that, Lapis spoke up.

"Xarnas. Sandra. Great. Now that we all know each other... you're under arrest for betraying the Blade of Marmora, Xarnas. We're taking you in."

Xarnas only sighed at this before he spoke.

"Well, I'm afraid there's a change in plans."

Krolia then lowered her weapon from Xarnas as she spoke, leaving Lapis confused.

"You're late."

"What? Why are we letting him go?"

"We're not, but we don't have much time."

* * *

At the central command, Alphus, Lotor and Allura stood at the center of a room of relics where Haggar once stood before the last of the three sighed.

"What is this place?"

"Haggar's lair."

Alphus felt as though it haunted her as she spoke to Lotor.

"Why would you bring us here?"

"Our fathers traveled through the rift into the space between reality. I believe Alfor's Altean alchemy made that possible. There may be something in here that contains secrets that Haggar was unable to unlock. But you two can."

As they looked around the room, Alphus felt as though she wasn't worthy of being anywhere near the relics as they were remnants of the race she destroyed. Even worse, she could still hear the screams of the now extinct race, which made her trauma worsen.

"I-I shouldn't be here. Not after what I've done."

Allura tried to comfort her as Alphus held her hand to her face.

"It's okay, Alphus. You don't need to stay here if you don't want to. Let's get you out of here.

As the two tried to walk away, Lotor stopped them.

"Allura, Alphus... please... I cannot do this without you."

"I understand. But Alphus has been through enough turmoil already."

However, Alphus take a deep breath before she spoke, surprising Allura.

"Okay."

"Alphus... are you sure?"

"Truth? I don't know. But he needs us. I can get through this."

As Allura felt her need to go on, she spoke to her worriedly.

"Alright. But if your trauma comes back, sir down and rest at least."

"Okay."

This made Lotor smile as he spoke.

"Thank you, both. Now, where should we begin?"

As they looked through the relics, Alphus was once again reminded of a traumatic event before she held her hand to her head and was asked to sit down and rest by Allura before she found a small science log and she spoke to Lotor.

"Look at this. It's an Altean science log."

As they looked, Lotor recognized the writing and penmanship.

"This was written by my mother, Honerva, thousands of years ago."

Hearing this, Alphus looked at Lotor from where she sat down and spoke.

"Your mother was Honerva? The Honerva that discovered the rift on Daibazaal? Then you're... half-Altean."

"Yes. It was something both Galra and Drule considered a weakness, but I considered it a strength. The union between Zarkon and Honerva sparked a technological revolution within the empire. Even back then, Altean culture was remarkably advanced. The kinds of experiments she was conducting... she advanced science by eons."

Alphus smiled, remembering how Honerva was working and the time she spent with her and Zarkon before _he_ corrupted them.

"That sounds just like her. I remember how we used to talk about what we could do. I never forgot that."

Allura then brought up a certain issue.

"How did Haggar get her hands on this? She was constantly seeking Altean magical knowledge that she could pervert for her energy power. There must have been things that she was unable to access."

Allura then spoke up to them.

"I'm going to continue the search. Alphus, please rest up as much as you can."

"I'll try. Thanks."

As she walked away, Alphus rested herself while Lotor looked through the files.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Jenny, and their sentry were hanging out and taking pictures. For instance, one picture showed Pidge on the sentry's shoulder while it held Jenny as she gave a thumbs-up. Another one showed Lance in a Druid costume while Pidge wore Haggar's spare cloak, Jenny wore an outfit similar to Princess Xaira's, and Hunk wore a chestplate, helmet, and cape of Zarkon before the next picture showed Jenny, Lance, the sentry, and Pidge doing poses before Pidge took pictures of Lance, Hunk, and the sentry as Jenny, who was still wearing Xaira's outfit, admired them.

"That's it! Hold that pose. The camera loves you, baby."

"I certainly love you."

"What was that, Jenny?"

"Eep! Nothing!"

The sentry then piped up about a request.

"Oh, and get one more of me."

"Halt!"

At that moment, Jenny and the sentry panicked as they spoke.

"Amscray!"

"Scram."

With that, they took off quickly as the Paladins noticed before bolting off themselves as the soldiers gave chase.

"Get back here!"

Next, Lance and the others did a golf session at the hangar bay as he looked out for the shot before Pidge prepared to swing herself as the soldiers found them again.

"Hey!"

When they took off using their jet packs, the soldiers tripped up on the broken drone parts.

Next, Jenny declared war on the soldiers and arranged an ambush by herself and Pidge before they were all tied up as Lance rode on top of one soldier while Jenny rode on another as they shouted.

"Razzle-dazzle!"

"Full speed ahead!"

As they charged toward each other, Jenny and Lance growled as they got closer to each other while the soldiers panicked and Jenny succeeded in pushing Lance off of his ride before he ended up on the floor with a bruise as Jenny winced while the sentry laughed.

"Maybe it was too much."

Later, they all got ice pops in the shape of swords made by Hunk as Jenny spoke.

"Just so there are no hard feelings. Here you go."

As an added bonus, she handed the necklaces with a sentry head on it to the soldiers and Lance as he spoke.

"So worth it."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the base, Lapis wanted an explanation.

"Why aren't we arresting Xarnas, Krolia? He betrayed us!"

"I have a better question. Why would Sneren risk sending you in here now?"

Keith explained before Lapis answered.

"Because he's heard about Ranveig's super weapon. We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"I'm guessing Ranveig's dead since Commanders Trugg, Ladnok, and Vaxel are attacking my base."

Xarnas then explained the reason for the brief alliance between him and Krolia.

"That's the same reason I'm here. Except I'm not merely just looking for the weapon. I'm searching for my daughter."

This made Sandra, Lapis, and Rogue Thrust surprised as the first of them spoke.

"You had a daughter?"

"I still do. But not for long if I don't find her. I have reason to suspect she was the test subject of the weapon. Worse yet, any one of those commanders at war are on the verge of crushing her forces. We must find my daughter and destroy the super weapon."

This made Adea curious.

"Uh, about that. What is the weapon exactly?"

Krolia turned around to her former students as she explained.

"Warlord Ranveig intercepted an undocumented shipment of Quintessence traveling through his territory. He took it for his own and began experimenting with it. It's more powerful than any Quintessence we've received from the empire, and it has some very... unexpected effects."

Lapis could make a guess as to what it was.

"Was that Dark Quintessence by chance?"

"No, Lapis. It was more unstable. Like it was... artificially created."

"Artificially? Like someone went and tried to reproduce Quintessence manually?"

"That appears to be the case."

Then, the whole base shook as an explosion occurred while the computer spoke.

"First level has been breached. Activating second level of defense."

As Krolia took a look, it showed Vaxel smashing through the first layer of defenses just as Trugg landed.

"Vaxel's at our doorstep and Trugg's fleet has touched down. We're running out of time! Come on!"

As they took off through another hall, Lapis spoke with Xarnas.

"I need to know something. Why would you turn your back on the Blades. They all trusted you."

"It was a family matter, Lapis. I'm sure you of all people would understand. Let's leave it that way for now."

With that, they pressed onward as Lapis began to feel as though she could relate.

* * *

Meanwhile, Haggar's lair, Lotor kept on looking through the files as he looked behind him to see Alphus resting peacefully before holding his head down as Allura walked over to them.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong with Alphus?"

"No. She's resting as much as she can before her trauma hits again. So far, nothing has happened yet."

"Then what's wrong?"

"By the end of these logs, it's like they're written by s different person. She's frantic, paranoid, erratic. Her reason and intellect are gone, replaced by fear and paranoia."

Allura then began to get an idea as to what could've happened.

"Lotor, have you ever wondered... what if Honerva became corrupted the same way Zarkon did? Granted, I don't know if Omegus had a hand in it, but perhaps she didn't die like we all thought back then. What if she and Haggar are the same—"

Before she could finish, Lotor interrupted coldly.

"That witch is not my mother."

As soon as he said this, Alphus woke up with a start and breathed heavily before Allura went down to her.

"Alphus, are you alright?"

"I... I guess. I... I thought I saw... Omegus again. Not in Zarkon, but... trapped in limbo. He was waiting for something, anything to happen. Must've been a nightmare."

"Well, whatever it was, you're fine now."

With that, Lotor got back to focus on the mission.

"There must be something else in this room, something we missed."

"I've looked all over. I can't find anything pertaining to Altean alchemy."

Alphus, keeping in mind that she was recovering from her trauma, felt as though they hadn't looked through everything.

"What are we doing wrong?"

"Perhaps we are not using all the tools at our disposal. Close your eyes and just... let yourself feel the energy around you."

As Allura did so, Lotor instructed her further.

"See if any of these objects call out to you."

As she felt it, she could see a blue silhouette behind a box before she moved it and they found a small rock.

"I was drawn to this."

Lotor began to recognize that shape as he widened his eyes.

"Wait a tick. I know I've seen something about this before."

With that, Lotor opened up an image from his gauntlet as he spoke.

"Where is it? Here."

As he found a ruined planet that showed a majestic site even in its withered state, Lotir spoke of where he'd found another likeness of it in drawings.

"These are ancient ruins from an Altean outpost now beneath the dead of Planet Entuk. There, I found a mosaic depicting Altean explorers following a map projected from what they called a 'compass stone.' Supposedly, it can lead to the magical realm of Oriande, which houses the secrets of Altean alchemy."

"Oriande? I thought it was a folktale."

Lotor disagreed with her.

"My research has led me to believe it is quite real. We need to get this stone working."

* * *

At the base, Keith, Sandra, Rogue Thrust, Xarnas, and Krolia hurried to two computers as she spoke.

"Luzria, get to that console!"

"Right."

As they got to work, Luzria spoke to her again.

"What now?"

"We need to simultaneously enter this code."

"At the same time? How can we do that?"

Suddenly, another explosion occurred just as Vaxel stepped out of the dust with sentries beside him.

"Went down smoother than I expected."

With that, Keith took action as he summoned his luxite blade and slashed at the sentries before one of them grabbed him in spite of being stabbed before tossing him away, forcing Krolia to turn to Xarnas.

"Xarnas, take over for me!"

"On it!"

As Xarnas and Luzria prepared to enter the code, Krolia shot at the drones before getting his Luxite sword from the sentry before taking the rest of them down just as Vaxel fired a blast from his synthetic arm as if challenging her before Krolia dodged another blast as Adea tossed her luxite scythe at his arm, sticking it into the weapon as he groaned before Krolia engaged in hand-to-hand combat with him before he took her arm and forced it away before punching her, to the ground as she took the luxite blade back for her pupil, who got up and tried to attack, only to be seated away and landed beside Keith. Suddenly, the group found themselves surrounded by more drones as they got ready to fight before Vaxel spoke.

"I wouldn't recommend fighting anymore. Not if you don't want your comrades to pay the price."

As he pointed his arm now turned into a cannon at Keith and Adea as she grew scared, Lapis grew worried before Atchiam spoke.

"It'll be okay. We just need a plan."

Krolia, however, already thought of one as the blade turned into its dormant state as she held her hands up.

"We can make a deal."

Keith and Sandra grew surprised at this.

"What are you doing?!"

"How can you do this?!"

"I left you two once. I'll never leave you again. Give us a ship, and I'll give you the codes to the weapon."

Suspecting an attempt at escape, Vaxel grew suspicious.

"And why should I take your word at face value?"

"You don't have a choice. We're the only ones who know the access code. If you try to break in, the room will self-destruct. Once we're airborne, I'll give you the code."

Vaxel, however, wasn't interested.

"Here's my counter offer."

With that, Vaxel aimed his cannon at Luzria and hit her in the side, making her scream as she fell before Lapis, Xarnas, and Krolia grew scared for her.

"Luzria!"

"You're going to input the code yourselves. Once the weapon is mine, you may yet live to be my slaves. However, if you try to trick me, you won't have that privilege."

As Luzria groaned at the pain, Lapis growled at Vaxel with tears in her eyes before he spoke.

"Open that gate. Now."

* * *

At Haggar's lair, Allura looked at the compass stone with Alphus and tried to break it open like a nut before she conceded.

"It won't open."

Lotor knew that she shouldn't give up as he placed his hands on hers.

"You just have to concentrate. I know you have the power within."

However, Allura sincerely doubted this.

"What if I don't? My father had an ability few Alteans possessed. Coran doesn't have it, Babak doesn't have it, Jenny doesn't have it, Honerva didn't have it. The truth is, I may not have his abilities either."

Alphus tried to cheer her up.

"Allura, you have to. You are your father's daughter. The one who got us closer to peace than we've ever been in. There's— there's gotta be a way to carry in the tradition of Altean alchemy."

"That tradition died along with my people 10,000 years ago. I'll never be the alchemist my Father was..."

Remembering what Alphus told her about the story, Allura began to turn her grief into anger and snapped at her as she shoved Alphus away.

"And it's all your fault! If you didn't kill my people, that tradition would've lasted longer, and we would've brought absolute peace for everyone!"

As Allura said spiteful things to her, Alphus began to get shattered, much to Lotor's dismay as he tried to calm her down.

"Allura, stop! You said yourself that Alphus has suffered enough turmoil already."

"Not as much turmoil as I went through! She caused a total genocide of my people! For all we know, she could've killed them all the moment she came to this reality!"

Hearing this, Alphus began to shed tears at her spite. Realizing what she'd just done, Allura tried to repair any damage she may have caused as she spoke.

"Alphus, I..."

However, Alphus, too hurt to listen, slapped Allura in the face while also scratching her face with her nail before running off.

"No! Leave me alone!"

With that, Alphus ran off throughout the lair as Lotor helped Allura up and saw the scratch she made. Granted, she was too hurt to think it through, but he knew she never intended this.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes. But I'll be even better once we find Alphus."

With that, Lotor nodded in understanding before the two took off to search for her.

"Alphus!"

"Alphus! Where are you?!"

"Alphus!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Jenny watched along with the two soldiers the sentry prepared for takeoff as he was tied to a robeast coffin Hagar previously used as he spoke.

"Are you sure about this?"

"We've been over this already. Let's light this candle. Whoo!"

"Do you think Lotor would mind us firing the robeast coffin?"

As Pidge shrugged, Jenny spoke up.

"I don't know."

"Well, it's not like he's gonna use it."

With that, the sentry called out again before Lance moved in to push the button.

"Come on, I've always wanted to see the stars."

"And now you will."

Given his cue, Lance pushed a button, igniting the boosters on the robeast coffin for take off as the sentry enjoyed the ride.

"Later, pala-dudes. Whee!"

As a result, the booster from the robeast coffin emitted sparkles like a shooting star as they looked out with Pidge, Jenny, and Lance speaking while Hunk and the two soldiers got tears in their eyes that streamed below their helmets.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"So that's what a shooting star looks like up close."

"He's... my hero."

With that, Hunk and the soldiers made a salute as Jenny, Lance, and Pidge followed suit in respect for their friend before they heard Shiro, Belle, Ayame, Babak, and Coran walk in before Jenny's older sister spoke.

"Uh, guys? Can you tell us what's going on here?"

Then, Ayame also took notice of what Jenny was wearing and grew confused.

"And why are you wearing that?"

This made Jenny's face turn red with embarrassment before she shouted.

"Uh... Retreat!"

With that, the group took off in a hurry as they darted away while Ayame just sighed.

* * *

At the base, Vaxel spoke to his captives.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Use the code, now."

Seeing the situation, Lapis tensed her fists in frustration before remembering what Vrathrea told her and taking a breath.

"Alright, fine. But you'll be getting exactly what you deserve."

"I'm counting on it."

With that, Lapis turned to Krolia before she spoke.

"You and Xarnas know the code, right? Open it."

This made Sandra and Keith more shocked with how things are going.

"What?! You, too?!"

"I can't believe you would give them the weapon just to save us. You compromised the mission, or does that not matter to you at all?"

"Not yet I haven't. Just go along with this."

With that, Lapis went over to Luzria and tended to her while Xarnas and Krolia inputted the code as the latter spoke.

"Beta-5-2-7-4-Omega-5-4-5."

As the code was inputted, the consoles beeped before Xarnas spoke.

"The code is confirmed."

Vaxel then smirked as he spoke.

"Now... open it."

With that, the door alarm blared as one door opened before another and another just as Keith glared at Lapis.

"This is why you shouldn't have made that trade for us. We could die and you just handed that weapon over to Vaxel."

"No, Keith. I handed them over to it."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Just look."

With that, the final door opened to reveal a giant creature with long blue hair, no eyes, and sharp teeth and claws, much to Vaxel's intrigue before it snarled with a charge at him. With that, Vaxel darted toward the beast and fought against it as he swung his synthetic arm, only for the creature to grip it and tear it off before he screamed in agony and the sentries fired at it to no avail as it began attacking them as well while Vaxel was forced to retreat. As this happened, Lapis smiled and spoke to the others as Xarnas looked at it with longing, recognizing the hairstyle as he gasped.

"Everyone, we need to get out of here, now!"

"No! We're not leaving without my daughter!"

"It's too late. That thing must've eaten her already."

"You don't understand. That thing _is_ my daughter!"

"What?"

"I did tell you it was a family matter."

As Lapis looked back at it tearing through the sentries, she knew if they got her, they'd be more powerful. A chance she wasn't willing to take. With that, she called out to it.

"Oh, quiznak. Hey!"

Hearing her voice, the creature turned to Lapis before snarling as it crept over to her before she motioned to Xarnas as she spoke.

"You need to listen! This is your father! Xarnas! Don't you recognize him?"

As the creature stared at him, it began to purr with longing before it tried to speak.

"F-Fa... therrrr..."

"Yes, Xanthia. It's me. I'm here."

Suddenly, a shot came from behind that knocked the creature now known as Xanthia out cold before it was revealed to have been made by Krolia as Xarnas and Lapis widened their eyes while the former spoke in shock.

"How could you?!"

"Don't worry. I only stunned her. We'll all need to carry her out of there."

* * *

At Haggar's Lair, Alphus was sitting alone in the dark corners as she sobbed her heart out over what she'd done. All the while, Allura and Lotor had no luck finding her as they shouted for her.

"Alphus!"

"Alphus! Reveal yourself!"

Then, Allura realized how vacant the lair was and decided to use that to their advantage.

"Wait. Why haven't I thought of this before? Don't speak. Try listening for her voice."

As they did so, they heard light sobbing from a distance before she spoke.

"It's this way."

With that, they ran to the source and found a dark corner where no light occupied its presence but the three of them. When Alphus looked up to Allura and saw the scratch she made, she retreated her head back in her arms before she spoke.

"Go away. I've hurt you enough already."

"Alphus, I'm really sorry... for what I've said about you. I was just frustrated. I had no intention to..."

Alphus interrupted her as she peeked her head out from her arms.

"That doesn't matter. You're right. All of your race died because of me. Even if Alfor did die, there still would've been other Altman's that had her alchemy. But thanks to me... they're all gone."

"Alphus, this isn't import—"

"And did you really think I wanted to be here? Even with what I remember now, I still had no clue where I came from to this day. I never asked to be a part of your lives just to ruin it! I never asked to be a part of it at all! But it happened anyway. And look where you are. You don't have a family, a home, or a friend anymore. And it's... it's all because of me. I don't understand why I... why I didn't just kill myself already."

As Alphus wept at this, Allura knelt down and tried her best to comfort her.

"Please, be still. You are not to blame for what's happened to my race. It was Omegus. He simply took advantage of the weakness inside us and struck it where it was most crucial. Besides, you're wrong. You may have destroyed everything I ever knew of Altea, but you didn't take them all away. The Paladins are my family. My friends. My home. But... even they can't be complete without you. And I mean that from the deepest part of my heart."

As Alphus heard this, she whimpered, trying to collect herself as Allura hugged her gently before releasing a bit of tears herself.

"So, please... don't do this. We need you. Jenny needs you. _I_ need you..."

With that, as she hugged her tightly, Allura's tears hit the compass stone she forgot she held before it turned bright blue and opened up a new map as Lotor looked on in awe.

"Allura... you've done it."

With that, Allura and Alphus looked at the map that spawned a yellow y-shaped area as well as an x-shaped meteor on another slide of it as they grew surprised.

"Is that..."

"It is."

"Oriande."

* * *

In the Violet Lion, the creature that was freed laid in the hangar with Luzria, Adea, Atchiam, Xarnas, Keith, and Krolia as Lapis reflected on how she acted and what it could've cost her while she spoke.

"We're far enough away. They stopped firing."

"Good."

With that, Adea spoke to Xarnas as Lapis listened in.

"So... what's your story? Why did you really betray the Blades?"

"I had no choice. I'm sure you knew our previous history. We were the best pair of agents, father and daughter. Because of our unique chemistry, we thought no one could figure us out. Unfortunately, that wasn't the reality. One day, I was hit too close to home. Warlord Ranveig captured my daughter and she asked me to put the mission before her and everyone else. But... I didn't. When I got to her, she was beaten to the point where she could only hang off the cliff of life. He told me he would give her back if I did what he asked. Giving my luxite blade to Zarkon's heir as proof of my loyalty. When I successfully made the trade, Ranveig did give my daughter back to me... but she wasn't the same. While I was gone, he mutated her, experimented on her with this new Quintessence. When she tried to kill me, I managed to escape, hence the scar on my face. The burn over it, however, was a different story. It reminded me how important the mission is. Of course, I could never come back to the Blades after my deceit. So, I took a job as Galra commander of the empire, while maintaining my ruse. That is, until I met the Paladins of Voltron. And what happened from then on is... another story entirely."

Hearing this, Lapis sighed before she spoke.

"Guys... I'm really sorry for the way I acted. Since the Kral Zera, I wanted to make Sendak pay before he hurt me or anyone else again. But instead... I just tried to hurt you myself. Thank the ancients Sneren stopped me back there."

Adea smiled back at her before she spoke.

"It's okay. We'll all be fine. But, Xarnas... What are we gonna do for your daughter?"

"I don't know. But I won't stop until I find a cure."

Luzria knew there'd be a downside to this as she spoke.

"What if there is no cure?"

"Then I'll make one myself if I have to. Because family always looks out for each other. Always."

With that, Adea smiled at him and back at the creature as she spoke.

"I understand that more than you think."

With that, Krolia got up and spoke to Keith as she handed the luxite blade over.

"I should give this back to you."

As he took it, Keith grew curious about the possibility of how she managed to use it as well as Adea.

"How were you able to use it?"

"Yeah? Did he trust you with the blade before?"

"No, Adea. It's because it used to be mine... before I gave it to his father."

This made Keith and Sandra widen their eyes as they spoke.

"You're our..."


	46. White Lion

**A/N: Hello. In anticipation for the final season, I've decided to work on a send a new chapter and a chapter update. By the time you finish reading this, I'll be working on it before the final season gets released. Hopefully, I can send it up before then successfully. Now, seeing as the White Lion is a mystical being, I think he should at least have a voice that speaks telepathically, so I think that honor should go to Kirk Thornton for his work as Saix in Kingdom Hearts. Speaking of, I'm also excited for Kingdom Hearts III coming up and will make a story of that once I ensure that the final version of "Fate of the Defenders" is completely updated and finished after the final season, which would take about... two months from now, by my estimate. Anyway, I hope you all have a good day. :)**

 **Chapter 45:** White Lion

At the Castle, Alphus, Lotor, and Allura presented the compass stone to the Paladins, Babak, Belle, Sandra, and Coran as Pidge spoke.

"So, this magic rock is gonna guide us to a mysterious planet?"

Lotor knew what planet Pidge was referring to and corrected her.

"A land known as Oriande."

This made Jenny perk her ears up before she spoke.

"Hold up. Babak, you said I'd find the White Lion at Oriande, didn't you?"

"Or an amalgamation of it, yes."

"Then why did I find it at Planet X?"

"That question is... beyond me, Jennifer."

However, Coran laughed it off before he spoke.

"I'm afraid someone's been ruggling your wimble, Prince Lotor. Oriande is just an Altean folktale. It doesn't actually exist."

Allura knew different as she replied.

"That's what I thought, Coran. But now, I have a feeling it is quite real."

This made Jenny chirp with excitement as she spoke.

"You mean we can visit Oriande? Grandpop told me and my sis about how beautiful it was, even though she doesn't believe in his stories."

Hearing this, Belle got defensive.

"Whoa, hey! That was a long time ago!"

"Well, your 'Grandpop' wasn't too off the mark, Jennifer. It is the birthplace of all Altean alchemy. The place where King Alfor and Alphus learned the secrets that helped them create the three Voltrons and where Alphus, you, and Allura will master those same secrets so that my ships may enter the Quintessence Field."

As Jenny got ecstatic on this, Lance felt a little suspicious.

"Really?! I could get cool new powers?!"

"And what makes you the authority on crazy Altean nonsense? Babak and Coran know more magic and made-up gobbledygook than anyone I've ever met."

Babak, flustered by his speech as he was, knew he was right on that much.

"Blunt yet accurate. And on top of that, Alfor didn't even make one mention of traveling to Oriande with me or Coran."

Lotor knew the reason as he spoke.

"In all likelihood, he kept it a secret from everyone, especially since Kaecilius himself became corrupted. I have been researching Oriande for centuries, hoping to learn more about my Altean ancestry. Over time, I've managed to gather evidence from all over the universe that hinted at its existence. Now, thanks to Princess Allura, I will finally gaze upon its magnificence with my own eyes."

Then, Hunk spoke up about his duties as he raised his hand.

"Uh, aren't you a little busy running your empire to take a magical vacation?"

"In order to transition the Galra Empire to a peaceful existence, I need to open up a pathway to the Quintessence Field. Once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the empire will be behind them."

Jenny then held her head down in doubt before Allura spoke.

"If this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace."

Hearing this from Allura, though, Jenny snapped out of her doubt and got her excitement back as she giggled.

"Yeah! Let's do this!"

Shiro then spoke up as he and Belle smiled at how Jenny got ecstatic again.

"Well, let's find out where we're going."

With that, the ship's crystal flowed brightly as it showed the star maps and the compass stone opened up as well, charting a course while Allura spoke.

"There, between those three celestial bodies. That's where we're headed."

Upon closer inspection, Coran felt concerned before Jenny and Lance grew confused at the same time.

"Wait a tick, that's the Patrulian zone."

"The what now?"

"The Patrulian Zone is a mysterious part of space where ships enter and are never heard from again. Princess, that area has been deemed unsafe to navigate for ages."

Lotor knew it was a clever ruse laid out by the life givers as he spoke before Pidge gave out the bad part.

"The perfect place to hide a magical world."

"Or to crash and die."

Jenny then looked to the Princess as she spoke.

"So, what's the plan?"

"We will approach with caution. Prepare our course, Coran."

"Yes, Princess."

* * *

Later, the Castle appeared via wormhole in a desolate area of space where destroyed ships were scattered throughout with a white twister in the center as Coran and Shiro spoke before Jenny interjected.

"We're approaching the Patrulian Zone."

"What's that up ahead? An asteroid belt?"

"I don't think it's that, guys. It looks like... a graveyard."

Babak knew she was right as he spoke before Hunk wondered what caused it.

"That is correct, Jennifer."

"What caused them all to lose power?"

"No one knows. Countless ships decimated with no explanation. Except... that storm."

As an explanation, the group saw a giant twister in the center as Jenny spoke to Ayame before Lance spoke.

"Uh, Ayame, did we happen to see a giant twister when we got to Planet X?"

"No. We didn't."

"Okay, just checking. Because I know for sure we haven't ever seen this."

"Is that some kind of super massive star?"

Pidge, however, knew very well what it was.

"No. Unbelievable! It's a white hole!"

Hearing that, Hunk grew impressed.

"Whoa! Take that, theoretical physics!"

This made Lance confused before she explained.

"Wait, what's a white hole?"

"Well, unlike a black hole, which has massive gravity that sucks everything in, a white hole is an opposite body that shoots massive amounts of energy out from an unknown source."

Seeing this, Hunk noticed that what a Pidge said about massive amounts was no exaggeration.

"It's blasting this whole area with crazy high radiation."

Shiro can make a guess what happened to those ships as he spoke.

"Looks like you're right, Babak. The energy must've fried those ships' systems."

Then, Lotor pondered to himself about a poem from before.

"'The wise stand back from the fire, fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame, the embers and he are the same.'"

As she heard this, Jenny grew curious.

"What's that? It sounded just like one of those things I saw on Planet X. Except they didn't rhyme."

"It's a poem by an ancient Altean alchemist. I discovered it carved next to a cave painting of a fiery sphere. I never realized until now that it describes the route to Oriande. We must go into the white hole."

This made Hunk concerned as he spoke while raising his hand.

"Are you guys serious? We're navigating by cave poetry now?"

Jenny knew it would help as she spoke.

"Well, it was cave poetry that led me to the White Lion."

"Touché."

Pidge felt the task to be difficult.

"How are we supposed to go through the white hole? If we get any closer, we're gonna end to like those dead ships out there."

Allura knew a solution to this as she spoke.

"We wormhole inside."

That answer petrified Coran and Babak as they spoke.

"Princess, no!"

"Absolutely not!

"Our Voltrons can withstand forces other ships cannot."

Alphus, considering her role in their creation, spoke up.

"I see what you're saying. You're saying they can withstand that white hole."

"Precisely."

This made Belle concerned as she spoke.

"Are you sure?"

"If this is the home of Altean alchemy, then our Voltrons will make it through."

Lance then spoke up in concern next as he spoke.

"And what if is just another nuclear explosion in space? Then we're toast."

Jenny then turned to Lotor as she spoke.

"Well, maybe Lotor knows something about it that can help us."

However, her suggestion was drowned out by Coran's protest.

"Princess, I think you've taken this quest far enough. Lotor is sending you to your doom."

"Quite the opposite. It is a mission of life discovery."

Babak then voiced his protest next as he and Lance barked at Lotor.

"Silence!"

"You need to zip it!"

"Believe me, I would never ask any of you to do this if I didn't know... if I didn't feel in my heart that it is true. I belong here."

This made Alphus hang her head down as she spoke, catching Jenny's worry as she felt bad for her.

"Which might as well be more than you can say for me."

* * *

Later, the Castle crept to the white hole before stopping in place as Pidge spoke while the Voltron lions and the White Lion emerged.

"This is as far as we can go. Any further and we'll be affected by the Patrulian Zone's radiation."

Shiro then spoke to Coran while Lance grew worried as their lions combined into Voltron and were joined by the White Voltron as it transformed.

"Alright, Coran, open up a wormhole."

"Well, let's fly into the cosmic death storm."

With that, the Voltron Force went inside the wormhole that led them inside the white hole before they noticed the debris inside while Shiro grunted from the pressure given to them.

"We're being blasted backward! Full power to thrusters!"

With that, Allura and Hunk boosted the original Voltron's thrusters just as Ayame and Jenny thrusted even farther with their bayards twisting in the keyholes before Allura spoke.

"We're making progress!"

As they got close, however, they were met with a giant white lion that appeared in front of them as Jenny spoke.

"No way! Is that... White?!

Suddenly, the White Lion fired a divine quintessential blast, knocking the both of them back as Allura and Jenny spoke.

"Why is it attacking us?"

"Beats me!"

With that, Shiro spoke up to the group.

"Fire lasers!"

As both Voltrons fired a laser at it, it phased through it before it retaliated as Lance spoke.

"There's nothing to hit!"

As they took the brunt of the blast, the Paladins began screaming as Coran and Belle grew worried.

"What have you done?"

"You used us this whole time! You knew this would happen, didn't you?!"

Just then, they noticed Lotor's glowing marks as the former spoke.

"Wait, what's happening to your face?"

"What?"

"You have Altean marks. And they're glowing."

As Lotor noticed them, he began to remember a certain eligibility for Oriande's passage, confusing Belle.

"The Mark of the Chosen."

"What?"

With that, he put his focus on them as Lotor spoke.

"You need to get out of there! That thing is a guardian! It will only allow worthy Alteans through."

This only made Lance flustered as he and Shiro spoke.

"Oh, thanks for the tip!"

"Pull back!"

As the Voltrons ran away, the guardian shot another divine quintessential blast, urging them to dodge it before it only burst out of the white hole and hit the Castle with its particle barrier up and piercing through the barrier as Coran and Babak spoke.

"All systems are shutting down!"

"Our stabilizers are failing! We're listing into the graveyard!"

With that, Allura spoke, seeing an opening that the White Lion made.

"We must get back to the Castle."

As they took off, however, the guardian fired another blast as Jenny noticed it and dodged the blast as she spoke.

"Whoa, mama!"

However, in the process, the blast hit Voltron, making the Paladins groan before they came apart, making Jenny worried as she spoke.

"Guys!"

As the opening went away, Jenny tried to reach the others.

"Lance! Allura?! Can you hear me!"

Fortunately, they responded via gauntlet communication as Lance spoke.

"Yeah. We're okay. But we took a pretty bad hit."

"Sorry."

Pidge then spoke as she grunted before Lance spoke to her.

"I can't control my lion!"

"Me neither. I've lost power."

"I'm dead in the water."

Shiro then spoke up before Hunk.

"I think we all are."

"These lions aren't going anywhere."

However, Ayame and Jenny spoke up.

"Not all of them. The White Lion's still working."

"Yeah. Let me just—"

When she tried to move it, however, it didn't heed her action as she tried repeatedly and failed.

"Ugh! Never mind. We're dead in the water, too."

Then, Ayame spoke up.

"Hold on. Let me try."

With her, however, the White Lion did move towards the Paladins, making Jenny surprised as she spoke.

"Wait! How did you move it?!"

"I don't know. Maybe it lagged for a while. It did almost get grazed."

Shiro decided to get back to the task at hand.

"Everyone, prepare for a manual EVA. Rendezvous back at the Castle. We need to figure this out."

* * *

With that, the Paladins got in the White Lion, piloted by Ayame much to Jenny's surprise before they got in the Castle. When they got in the bridge, however, they saw Babak, Coran, Belle, Cilia, and Sapphire with Lotor as Jenny spoke with her sister.

"What's going on."

"Coran's managed to restore the auxiliary power, but it's not gonna be for long. Best chance we have until it conks out and we run out of oxygen is about a quintant."

This made Cilia concerned as she held Sapphire close.

"How are we supposed to survive, then?"

Lance knew an quick answer to that as he spoke.

"Maybe we can decrease our breathers by one."

At that moment, Jenny noticed Lotor's marks and grew surprised.

"Uh, wait. What's up with your face? And if this is the home of Altean alchemy, why couldn't we get in? And again, what's up with your face?"

"I am sorry to pot us in this position, but I think I know the answer. Look at Allura."

As she removed her helmet, Allura was found to have glowing marks below her eyes as she gasped while Pidge spoke.

"Whoa! What's happening?"

Seeing this, Jenny took off her own helmet before she noticed the same glowing marks on her face as she widened her eyes in joy.

"Hey! I've got them, too!"

Then, she turned to see Alphus' and Lotor's faces with silver marks on Alphus while Lotor's glowed dark purple before she spoke happily.

"And Alphus. And even Lotor! What is going on?"

Lotor knew what it meant.

"It's called the Mark of the Chosen. They are mentioned in some of the Oriande legends. They indicate those worthy of entering the realm."

Then, Shiro and Belle noticed that Babak, Coran, Cilia, and Sapphire's marks weren't glowing as they spoke.

"Wait, why aren't Babak and Coran's marks glowing?"

"Or Cilia and Sapphire's?"

"There are different types of Alteans. Allura, Jennifer, and Alphus possess a deep connection to ancient Altean energy. It enables them to operate the teludav and change their shape and size. Alfor has greater alchemical understanding than any before him. Others are... less magical, no offense."

Jenny then raised her hand as Coran's face slumped in an unhappy look.

"Yes, Jennifer."

"Well, I know that we can change our shape and size, but does that include turning into mermaids? I know I should've asked Allura, but I just wanted to confirm."

"An odd question, but yes. That is part of changing the shape of your body."

This made Jenny do a fist bump with joy before Coran spoke.

"Hey! I, too, can change my body!"

"Perhaps, but the most your type of Altean can do is change your skin color and height."

"Oh. Right."

With the debate settled, Hunk spoke.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We need to enter the white hole alone."

This made Lance and Cilia shout at the same time while Babak reprimanded him.

"What?!"

"Out of the question! Did you forget what that beast did to the Castle?! And to the Lions?!"

"The beast is a guard keeping the unworthy out. It won't hurt us."

"Yeah, and before, you thought it wasn't going to hurt us!"

Jenny then spoke to in defense for him.

"Well, we did kinda rush into this without checking to see what else we should know. I can kinda admit that, now. But all blames aside, how are we gonna get there? We're stuck, and the White Lion won't listen to me."

Allura has an idea to remedy this as she spoke.

"We can use the personal transport crafts."

Babak then stepped up to her and spoke.

"Princess Allura, I must forbid you to do this! It is too dangerous."

Allura then spoke up just as Jenny stick up for her.

"Babak, we must gain some kind of alchemical knowledge in Oriande, both to save our own lives and bring peace to the universe."

"Yeah. Besides, I have a family to look after. All I wanted was for them to be safe. And I'll be jinxed if we made it this far just to fail on my promise."

Lance then spoke to Coran out of worry.

"Babak, don't tell me you're going to cave in on this!"

Alphus then spoke up to calm him down.

"Lance. They're right. Right now, the ship is stuck until Jenny, Allura, and I can somehow get it restarted."

Jenny then spoke up to Lance as she spoke.

"Hey. It's not like I'm throwing my life away for you like before. Just think of it like... like I'm racing against the clock. I'm always good at those odds."

Lance had doubts as he spoke.

"Jenny... I don't know..."

Allura then spoke up next.

"Don't worry. This will work. I can feel it."

Then, Belle thought about Cilia and Sapphire as she spoke.

"But what about Sapphire? She has a smaller lung capacity than any of us here."

Cilia smirked as she got out a hospital airbag before she spoke.

"Don't worry. Just leave that to me."

As the group saw this, Hunk raised his hand while speaking.

"Do you have any extras?"

* * *

With that, Lotor, Jenny, Alphus, and Allura took off on the smaller crafts and into the white hole as the group watched while Lance spoke to Babak.

"Did they make it in?"

"I don't know. So far, we can't get any readings beyond the edge of the white hole now that the power's out. And the auxiliary power certainly can't do the job if we want to breathe."

Sapphire then looked up to Shiro as she spoke to him.

"So, what do we do?"

"We'll just have to wait."

In the white hole, Jenny, Allura, Lotor, and Alphus nearer the center as the white lion in quintessential form appeared, making Allura and Alphus widen their eyes as Lotor maintained his gaze before Jenny spoke to herself.

"Please don't blast me, please don't blast me, please don't blast me, please don't blast me!"

It didn't seem to answer her prayer as it opened its mouth and prepared a giant blue orb making the group close their eyes as they prepared for the worst before opening their eyes to see floating pillars and a rocky planet with a sunset sky as Jenny giggled with joy at its beauty while Allura spoke.

"It's amazing."

"I know. Just like Grandpop said."

As Jenny shed tears of joy at the beauty of it all, they landed on a larger pillar before Lotor spoke.

"None of my research or travels have prepared me for this. From here, we are on our own."

* * *

At the Castle, Shiro and Ayame stood watch while Belle tended to Cilia and Sapphire (who had the airbag over her face) while Pidge, Sandra, and Hunk got to work with Lance twitching his leg whilst making his suit squeak before Pidge finally spoke up to Hunk.

"Anything?"

"No."

With that, Lance spoke up next.

"What's happening? What do you think they're doing right now?"

Pidge then spoke to Hunk while Lance mistook that for Pidge asking him.

"Now?"

"Yes."

However, Babak gave an answer to Pidge, confusing Lance as he spoke, earning Pidge's response.

"No."

"Wait, what?"

"We're not talking to you, Lance. Is this doing anything?"

Lance then spoke up again about his concern.

"Do you think they're alright? I mean, when will they be able to get back?"

Hunk then answered Pidge's question as Lance mistook that for his answer and earned Pidge's correction again.

"I don't think so."

"You don't?!"

"He's not talking to you."

"Well, excuse me for being concerned!"

"Coran, try to fire the chargers."

As Coran followed Pidge's instruction, Lance spoke again.

"It's just nerve-racking waiting for Jenny and Allura to come back. I mean, Jenny's obviously got a penchant for putting herself before others, and while I appreciate that, it also scares the quiznak of me."

Babak then spoke after receiving a shake in the head from Coran.

"Well, they're probably already kaput."

"WHAT?!"

This made Sandra finally snap as she shouted.

"Shiro! Can you and Ayame take Lance, please?"

* * *

Later, Lance accompanied Shiro and Ayame at the hall before he spoke.

"It's okay, guys. I'll be quiet. You don't have to babysit me."

Then, Ayame spoke up.

"Lance... It's okay to be worried about someone. But that kind of stress can't be good for you, especially since we're running low on air."

With that, Shiro spoke up to the two.

"Guys, let me ask you something. Do you remember, on Olkarion, how you asked me about talking to you from inside Voltron?"

This made Lance and Ayame look to him before they spoke.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What happened there? I can't remember any of it."

Lance proceeded to explain as he stood up.

"We were all in some kind of mystical Voltron mindspace, and you were yelling something, but we couldn't hear you."

"Are you alright, Takashi?"

"I— I don't know. My head... I'm just... I'm feeling so confused... it's like..."

"What?"

"Like I'm not myself."

This made Ayame and Lance concerned as the former spoke.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Lance had an idea why that is as he spoke.

"It's probably just lack of oxygen. You should sit down. We'll get through this."

With that, the trio sat down by the halls as Ayame leaned close to Shiro.

* * *

Meanwhile, out in space, Ezor laid on the ship's floor as she spoke with Acxa beside her.

"I'm bored. How long are we just gonna drift here?"

"Until Haggar decides what our next move is."

This made Ezor's face slump backward as she spoke while blushing at her last comment.

"It's times like this I really miss Adea. She was so cool with that luxite. Not to mention she was... kinda cute."

With that, Zethrid spoke up.

"Speak for yourself. Atchiam's where the action is. Those two robot arms are the coolest I've ever seen. My only worthy opponent. But instead, we're just stuck here. While she's doing her magical pondering, we could be out conquering. The whole empire is in chaos. We play our cards right, and we have a nice little territory of our own. Then, Atchiam will _have_ to go look for me and we can fight again."

This made Ezor smile as she spoke in a singsong voice.

"Ooh. Looks like you got it bad for her..."

"It's not like that, Ezor! I just... I just didn't get to finish our fight is all."

"Yeah, sure. But, now that I think about it... you think we could replace Lotor as emperor?"

"Who knows? If we start taking the other commanders out, one by one, starting with that shifty Kospego, we could be the last ones standing."

Acxa spoke differently of this as she spoke.

"No one is replacing Lotor. We just need to wait for orders from Haggar."

Then, the two of them looked to each other before Ezor spoke.

"You wanna go throw things at the crew? It'll be good target practice when we see Atchiam again."

"Yes."

As they walked away to do so, Acxa just made a look that said the situation will take some getting used to.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Oriande, Allura, Alphus, Jenny, and Lotor were climbing up a mountain as the first of the group spoke.

"I wonder if Father climbed this mountain."

"Well, it's most likely. Honestly, this is my first time being here, too."

"It's a good thing we have those helmets. Otherwise, we'd be running low on oxygen the higher we get."

As they climbed, Lotor spoke to Allura and Jenny.

"You know, I envy you two growing up with King Alfor and with a family that supports you. I always wanted to be an explorer and learn bout the universe."

This made Jenny surprised as she spoke.

"No way! Me, too! But... why didn't you?"

"My father was only interested in conquering it. He once put me in charge of a planet for year running the Quintessence mining and getting to know the local population. Rather than employ the usual Galran methods of subjugation, I worked alongside the leadership of the planet, learning their customs. We would only extract as much Quintessence as could be replenished. And I enjoyed my time there quite a bit."

"So, what happened then?"

"When my father found out what was happening, he ordered me to destroy the planet. I refused, and he sent me away."

Jenny could guess how well it turned out afterward.

"I'm guessing it didn't end well for the people you connected with, huh?"

"Correct. He destroyed them all. And worse, he made me watch before I was exiled. I was powerless to stop him. I spent the following centuries searching for clues about my Altean heritage, another culture destroyed by Zarkon."

Alphus knew he wasn't quite correct before she spoke.

"You mean by me. It was my power that took everyone away from the face of Altea."

"True, but that wasn't your intention. You were grieving. And somehow or another, your power reacted to that. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

This made Alphus sigh as she sadly smiled before speaking.

"Thanks, Lotor. That... actually makes me feel a little better. And I'm glad I'm with you now. We never would've found this place without you."

As Lotor smiled at Alphus, she smiled back before Jenny spoke.

"Okay, you guys. Let's move on, shall we?"

* * *

At the top of the mountain, they saw a bright palace of white light before making their way over to it. Once they did, they saw a White Lion walk from it before Jenny waved to it.

"Hi!"

As the White Lion looked at her, it began speaking telepathically to her.

" _You have some nerve to show your presence here."_

This made Jenny confused as she stopped waving as it spoke mentally again.

" _You have no right to command me."_

"Huh? What do you mean?"

" _It's plain to see. I have nothing more to say."_

With that, the White Lion walked away, making Jenny nervous as she spoke.

"Wait!"

As she ran, Alphus, Allura, and Lotor ran to catch yo with her as they spoke.

"Jenny!"

"What are you doing?"

"Compose yourself!"

As Jenny went in, however, she saw that the White Lion was already gone before she shouted in echoes.

"I don't understand! What did I do wrong?!"

Then, she thought about the time she couldn't move the White Lion even after avoiding the blast before she thought back to her question.

"What _did_ I do wrong?"

When they caught up, Alphus placed her hand on Jenny's shoulder.

"It's okay, Jenny. You'll find out soon."

"I hope so. I want to make it right, whatever I did."

Then, Allura and Lotor saw the drawings on the walls as the former spoke.

"Look at here ancient markings. They're beautiful."

"The temple of the alchemists. The mysteries we seek are hidden somewhere deep inside."

Then, Jenny saw the White Lion at the entryway before she shouted to it.

"I may not know what I did to you, but I promise I'll make it right!"

The White Lion just simply nodded before walking down the steps where it was as they followed it. When they reached the bottom of the steps, they saw a hall of statues with spears, sitting upon their thrones as they took off their helmets while Jenny and Allura spoke.

"Whoa. Who are they?"

"The Sages of Oriande. My father told me tales of their exploits, but I always assumed they were just children's stories."

Alphus knew who they were as she spoke.

"They're known as Life Givers. They were the first Alteans to unlock the secrets of Oriande, the beginning of Altean alchemy."

"No way..."

Lotor then spoke to Allura as the group walked.

"Allura, the tales you grew up with were not just children's stories."

Just then, one statue began to move before another adjacent to it got out their spears and planted them in front of the doorway. Then, just as another attempted to smite them, Allura used the compass stone to stop the attack before she spoke and they knelt down.

"Great protectors, we seek passage through your land. We bring you this gift."

With that, the statue put away her staff as the compass stone revealed the location and it took the compass stone before the guards allowed passage.

* * *

Afterwards, they saw the White Lion at a podium of some sorts as Jenny, Allura, Alphus, and Lotor saw this.

"Hmm. That looks so familiar."

"Now, what?"

"I don't know. But we need to be ready."

"Alphus is right. We may yet have to prove that we're worthy to be here."

With that, the White Lion growled before disappearing and the door suddenly shut itself behind them as Jenny panicked and Allura spoke.

"Eek! What's happening?!"

"We're trapped."

Then, they saw the ceiling lowering itself on them as Lotor spoke while Jenny got stressed.

"Oh, no... we're gonna turn into pancakes...!"

"Calm down, Jennifer. There must be a clue. Something a trained Altean would recognize."

Hearing this, Jenny then looked to the podium as she spoke.

"Oh, wait. I know what it is! It's just like at the Castle!"

With that, Allura and the others ran to it before she placed her hands on the podium and focused on it as the ceiling suddenly turned white and engulfed them.

* * *

As the light faded, it sent them to a new landscape separately as Lotor found himself alone and spoke in a backward echo.

"Allura?"

Then, Lotor gasped upon seeing the White Lion with him, growling as it began to charge at him.

* * *

In Allura's side, she saw the White Lion headed towards her before she dodged it and spoke to it.

"I do not wish to fight! I come seeking here knowledge!"

* * *

However, the White Lion only knocked her away before it showed Jenny knocked to the floor as she grunted before it snarled at her.

"Why... why are you doing this?! I need to know what I did wrong!"

* * *

The White Lion only snarled before running at her before switching to Alphus struggling to stand after being pushed as she spoke,

"If you must kill me, please don't hesitate! I don't deserve to live for what I've done!"

* * *

The White Lion seemed to oblige as it ran before it showed the creature going after Lotor as he dodged it before it gave chase and he used his hands to hold his mouth open before being forced to the ground as he challenged it.

"I will never yield! I will gain your secrets!"

* * *

In retaliation, it bit into his arm before tossing him away to the ground as he hit it with a thud. As for Allura, she sat up, trying to comprehend the situation before she spoke.

"What can I do?"

* * *

With that, the White Lion charged again before it showed Jenny barely standing as she shouted.

"What can I do to make up for what I've done?!"

Before it could get to her, it stopped in its place before a bright silhouette of a woman stood beside the White Lion as she spoke.

"First, you must understand what you've done."

* * *

When it changed to Alphus, it showed her on top of the White Lion before it tossed her off as she stood up.

"Come on! Stop holding out on me! Just end me!"

Then, the White Lion spoke as she waited for her end.

"I cannot. That isn't the way."

This made Alphus widen her eyes in surprise.

* * *

In the case of Lotor, he challenged it again as he spoke.

"VICTORY OR DEATH!"

As it leaped at him, Lotor saw the opportunity and slashed at it, changing the background to red before it faded away and he found himself out at the entrance to the temple. For Lotor, it meant one thing: he wasn't worthy.

"No. No!"

* * *

In the case of Allura, she sat up as the White Lion went toward her and she spoke.

"No. This isn't the way. I seek the secret of life."

It then leaped at her as Allura prepared for the end.

"I give my own."

With that, the White Lion went inside Allura as its blue light sparked throughout until a bright blue light engulfed her body.

* * *

After that, a blank background was made before the cosmos themselves appeared before her.

"Where am I?"

" _You have returned to the realm of your ancestors, the Alteans and the Life Givers who came before."_

"I wish to learn the secrets my father knew, the alchemy that created Voltron."

" _There is no need to kneel here. You are home, and the secret is already within you. Rise, let us embrace you."_

As Allura did so, she became engulfed in white light.

* * *

Meanwhile, it showed Jenny in front of the White Lion and the bright blue silhouette of a Life Giver with a crown on her head as she spoke.

"Please, tell me. What have I done to be cut off from my bond with the White Lion?"

The White Lion spoke as it went to her.

"I'm sure you can recall Planet X, another place hidden from anyone's eyes but mine. On your last visit, you resurrected two beings, thus breaking the balance of life and death and your promise not to disturb their rest."

This made Jenny gasp at the realization of this before she shed tears and fell to the floor, convinced that all was lost before the Life Giver spoke.

"Do not fret, my child. You are still young. And mistakes will be made. But there's no denying it is still a grave one."

"I don't... I don't understand how that's supposed to make me feel better."

"Because unlike those that are unworthy, you'll be given a second chance "

"What? R-Really?"

"You'll still be exempt from using the White Lion, but just until you truly understand learn how precious life is and how death's role is just as important."

"That's it? Well, how long would that take?"

"That depends on whether or not you'll figure it out for yourself."

This made Jenny stand up reverently as she placed her hand on her chest.

"But... earlier, the White Lion said I had no right to command it. But how am I worthy then, if that's true?"

The White Lion explained as it approached Jenny.

"While you cannot command me until you learn from your mistake, Oriande's sacred temple, however, will always be open to you. That is, if you know what to do to earn that."

Jenny then understood why they were called Life Givers. Having given her life many times over, she was no stranger to that. Then, there was the ownership to be concerned about.

"I do. I've been doing it since I started my journey. But... what about you? Who's going to ride your likeness with Ayame?"

"That is for you to decide."

* * *

This made Jenny widen her eyes before Alphus was seen standing before the White Lion.

"Why... why won't you take my life? I didn't deserve it. I slaughtered a whole race!"

"Yet, you regret it greatly with prolonged penance. In spite of your act, you do have a purpose. To carry on your ancestors' work and to bring peace."

This made Alphus have doubts about her ability as she spoke.

"How can I bring peace to what I've destroyed?"

"By planting a new seed that will restore what was once lost."

This made Alphus widen her eyes as she gazed at the White Lion as it seemed to speak to both her and Jenny simultaneously.

"Now, I ask you again. Do you know what to do?"

With that, Jenny and Alphus closed their eyes before they spoke in harmony.

"Yes. We will give our lives to make our wrongs right."

With that, the White Lion entered into Jenny and Alphus as its light overcame them.

* * *

At the Castle, the Paladins, Belle, Cilia, Coran, Babak, and Sapphire were laying in the floor, although the little girl still had her airbag over her as she slept next to her mother while the computer spoke up.

"Oxygen levels— 5%"

Pidge then spoke up as she took big breaths due to lack of air.

"There must be some way for us... to harness the power of the white hole... and use it to get the ship working."

As Pidge groaned, the alarm beeped as Hunk answered.

"We tried everything. I don't think... I can keep moving."

At that moment, Lance noticed the group incoming.

"Guys, look! It's Jen..."

Before he could finish, Lance groaned before passing out as they entered the Castle. Not long after, the Castle was working again as Coran and Lance spoke.

"You did it!"

"We... we should have never doubted you."

Allura then spoke as she motioned to him.

"I couldn't have done it without Lotor."

As she did, Lotor had a smile for her.

"You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, not for me."

Then, Lotor noticed Jenny's sad smile before he spoke.

"Is something the matter?"

"I just found out why the White Lion won't respond to me. It's because... I'm not worthy of it anymore."

This made the group gasp in shock before Belle spoke.

"What?! But you didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, apparently that's not true. You guys know how Adea's parents were brought back to life? Well, that was a serious mistake. I'm not saying we should fix it right now, and I'm surprised they didn't, but... it's just for a while."

Ayame then walked up to Jenny as she spoke.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah. I'm still trying to grow up. Part of that is dealing with the consequences. Besides, it's only until I learn from my mistake. And until then, there's no one I trust more to fly White... than Alphus. She piloted it before, so it should go to the one who had the most experience with it. And she's trying so hard to make up for what she did to the Alteans. It wouldn't be right if I didn't give her this."

This made Alphus begin to shed small tears as she spoke.

"Thanks, Jenny. It means so much..."

With that, Lance walked up before he spoke.

"Well, I guess you're support crew, now."

"Well, I did say things would work themselves out. My only regret right now... is that Honerva isn't here. She would've loved to see that place."

Lotor then spoke to her as he turned to the group.

"Quite. But we have our own duties to attend to."

"Right."

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, Haggar was seeing everything Allura and Lotor as Pidge and Lance spoke before Jenny.

"So, what's the next step?"

"Slow down, Pidge. We just started breathing again."

"We're gonna do what we can for the universe. The right way."

This made Haggar's eyes widen before she went out to speak with Acxa.

"I have the coordinates for our next destination."

"Where are we headed?"

"A place I've been searching for my entire life."


	47. Omega Shield

**Chapter 46** : Omega Shield

As the Castle, went towards the Galra Command Center, Lotor spoke with Allura, Alphus, and Jenny as the main Paladins sat in their positions.

"To return so triumphantly is a dream I thought I would never achieve. We are one step closer to bringing peace and prosperity to the entire universe. This is all because of you three."

Allura smiled back at Lotor as did Alphus while Jenny still fixated her sight into the view of space.

"We did it together, Lotor."

"That's right. No thanks to Babak..."

"Excuse me?"

"They would have never even known about Oriande without you, and therefore would have never unlocked its secrets."

Jenny, however, exhibited a somewhat dismal and morbid look on her face.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are happy. But... without the White Lion's trust in me, what does that matter?"

As Lance noticed this, he felt bad for Jenny being stripped of her privileges with the White Lion. Even if it was for a short while, Lance just couldn't stand to see Jenny so upset. However, they still had business to take care of. For now, Lance had to drop it so that he could focus.

* * *

At the command center, as they walked in, Shiro spoke with Lotor.

"We'll see intel in your briefing and decide what to do from there. Maybe we can—"

"Lotor."

Upon hearing an unfamiliar voice, however an all too familiar for Lotor, he lowered his eyes as if he's in trouble.

"Oh, no."

Lance grew curious as he spoke.

"Uh... who the heck are you?"

The Galran elder only walked up to him and practically barked at Lance eloquently.

"How dare you speak to me without authorization from Blood Emperor Lotor."

In a swift stroke, the woman thwacked Lance with her stick, making him explain as he felt the burn of the strike on his cheek. As he did, Jenny looked to Lotor and inquired of him.

"Who is that?"

"She was my governess. No one has used the term 'Blood Emperor' since before we were a star-faring race."

Then, Lotor introduced the Paladins to the woman.

"And these are my colleagues. They have more than my permission to speak. Everyone, this is Dayak."

Then, the Paladins, including Alphus said their greetings, starting with Pidge, Coran, Jenny, Ayame, Alphus, Hunk, Shiro, and Allura while Lance groaned in anger.

"Hi."

"A pleasure."

"How you doing?"

"Greetings."

"Salutations."

"Hiya."

"Hello. Nice to meet you."

Then, with everyone introduced, Lotor spoke to Dayak, expecting the embarrassment to come.

"So, to what do we owe the honor?"

"Word of your victory at the Kral Zera has spread throughout the empire. I always knew you had it in you to crush your enemies. Dayak's raised you from a child to a man, and now I'll witness your ascension to the throne."

This made Jenny raise an eyebrow.

"Huh? She was your nanny?"

This made Lance laugh at Jenny's question as Lotor corrected her.

"Governess."

"Are you sure?"

"You have a nanny! Oh, man, is she going to read you bedtime stories? Is she gonna rock you to sleep? Is she gonna—?"

Before Lance could finish, Jenny tripped Lance before Dayak could strike him, surprising the governess before she spoke.

"How did you know I was going to do that?"

"I didn't. I just don't want to hear him rambling on and on. Continue, please."

"Ah, yes. I instructed Lotor in the ways of the Galra. The history of our conquests, our customs, battle philosophy, the art of war."

This gave Hunk an idea as he spoke.

"Hmm, Galra customs, huh? Is that when you guys say, like, 'Vrepit Sa' and stuff? If Sandy were here, she'd be all about it. But... there's so much we don't know about you."

Lotor figured out what Hunk was meaning to say as he spoke.

"If you're interested in our society's history, you couldn't find a better teacher than Dayak."

"What Lotor says is true."

"Oh, wow. Would you really teach me about the Galra?"

This made Jenny confused as she spoke.

"What do you wanna know about them for?"

"Well, we're gonna be working for Lotor to bring peace throughout the empire, right? It just makes sense that the more we know about their society, the better. Besides, I really don't wanna be insensitive to Sandy in case we see her again."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot you had a thing with her."

As Jenny giggled at that nervously, Dayak spoke to Hunk, not quite certain he'd be up to the task.

"If you are to learn the ways of the Galra, you must be prepared for the most challenging trial you could ever undertake. There will be no turning back. Victory or death."

This made Hunk reconsider his standing on the offer as he backed away.

"Uh, oh, th-that's okay."

Allura felt he was getting cold feet, and so, tried to warm them up.

"Hunk, you're a Paladin of Voltron. There is no challenge too great for you."

"Hmm... will I learn what 'Vrepit Sa' means?"

Dayak knew it was obvious as she maintained her serious countenance and answered.

"Yes."

"Let's do it!"

As Hunk went with Dayak, Ayame turned to Lotor as she spoke.

"While Hunk's doing that, we need to get to the briefing."

* * *

At the briefing room, a soldier gave them the bad news.

"The civil war continues unimpeded. More and more Galra forces are leaving to join other factions. Sendak has claimed the most deserters. They call themselves 'the Fire of Purification.'"

Remembering another Galra that went rogue, Ayame had to bring him up.

"And what about Komar?"

"No one's seen him since the Kral Zera, so he's likely in hiding."

This made Lotor determined as he spoke.

"It is time I address all Galra and make my claim as emperor absolute."

Jenny thought it was obvious how they should start out.

"So, which planet do we need to go first? You know, to liberate it and such?"

"It's not that easy. My grip on the empire is tenuous as is. I need to prefer an alternative to our current state. That's why it is so important that Allura, Xaira, Alphus, you, and I gain access to the Quintessence field."

This made Ayame concerned.

"I know how important it is, but is it really necessary to drop everything else?"

"It is paramount. However, we cannot let the empire fall apart. I will address my people at the astral conflux."

Then, Ayame closed her eyes and changed her skin and hair color to that of a Galra, much to Jenny's surprise as she undid her ponytail.

"And if that isn't good enough for them, they'll know it's serious when they see Xaira standing with you, Lotor."

This made Lotor smile at her while Jenny blinked her eyes in wonder.

"Good thinking."

As Ayame turned to see Jenny's astonished face, Ayame raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was holding up the weights in the room as Dayak watched over him.

"How exactly is holding these weights gonna help me learn Galra history?"

"Palen-bol!"

With that, Dayak smacked her stick on his head before she spoke onward.

"For the mind to learn, the body must be broken."

"Oh, broken? That seems a little drastic."

In response, Dayak swiftly struck her stick on his head again like a whip.

"Palen-bol!"

"Ow! What does that mean?"

"It means 'the enlightening pain.' But apparently, there isn't enough pain to make you enlightened yet."

"So you're gonna hurt me until I'm smart?"

"Yes!"

"Aww."

As a Hunk struggled to hold up the weights, Dayak explained the history of the Galra.

"The Galra race started as a nation tribe on planet Daibazaal, home to many warring races at the time. In the war to annihilate the opposing tribes, the Galra formed a phalanx of their bravest and made a spear-like attack to the heart of their foes. It was known as the Killing Thrust, or Vrepit Sa."

"Oh, So that's what Vrepit Sa means? 'Killing Thrust'? That's so violent."

This made Dayak strike him again, making Hunk put on an angry face.

"Palen-bol!"

"Ow!"

"Yes, it is violent. The Galra believe combat is the searing light that burns away imperfections on every level, from personal to societal."

Then, Hunk's knees began to wobble before he spoke.

"Oh, cool. Can't I maybe take a little break?"

"Breaks?! There are no breaks! Your training is finished when you have learned all pain has to teach you."

"Oh, man. That's so intense."

"If you decide to leave your training early, it is an insult to my teaching. An insult that can only be settled by a fight to the death."

"So you're saying a fight to the death is the only way out of this?"

This made Dayak strike her stick on his bottom before Hunk corrected himself.

"Ow! Okay, yeah, you just said that. I guess I am getting smarter."

* * *

At the main hangar, one of Lotor's Sincline ships is currently being worked on as Lotor spoke to Allura and Ayame.

"You must replicate your father's work if we are to use this ship to enter the Quintessence field."

"But how?"

"On a ship that size, it doesn't seem possible."

"Believe it or not, it is. Through something Allura, Jennifer, and Alphus earned in Oriande. Something your father learned to become the superior alchemist he was. How you and Alfor built Voltron is the key."

Then, another soldier walked up to him before he spoke to Lotor.

"My lord. It is time to prepare for your speech."

"It seems my empire needs us. Please continue. Alphus will join you shortly."

With that, Lotor and Ayame walked with the guard, leaving Allura by herself as she looked up at the ship.

* * *

In the main hall, Lotor and Ayame stood before countless Galra generals as the emperor spoke throughout several Galra links, even towards Base: Xanthium where Komar began to growl in anger as Lotor gave his vow.

"Galra brothers and sisters, I am your emperor, Lotor, son and successor of Zarkon. Slayer of a tyrant, child raised in the void and taught on the battlefield. There are rumors of doubt regarding my leadership. Do not let them poison your ears. Pledge loyalty to me, and I will deliver the Galra Empire unto times of untold prosperity. An age of unlimited quintessence, the likes of which this universe has never known."

"LIAR!"

Komar then fired dark quintessence from his siphon at the monitor, breaking it before he spoke.

"The only reason you got as far as you have is because of Haggar! The very thief who stole my glory, my ideas, my plans! Everything you have is built on lies! LIES!"

As Komar finished his outburst, he began to take a deep breath as he opened his eyes and analyzed the contents of the sample of quintessence that came from when Xanthia tore off his arm and had a plot of his own brewing as he spoke.

"You have no idea what you're in for..."

* * *

At another planet, a solar flare was about to strike the planet with a small shield above it as one of the Galra that worked there spoke up.

"Commander, radiation belt approaching."

"Initiate shield."

As they turned on the shield, Lotor continued his speech.

"Soon, I will raise our grand empire above the indigence and violence of its past up to new heights of peace and limitless possibility. Those factions that have splintered from the empire will pay for their treachery. I urge you now, send me your messages of fealty. Those who choose to turn their backs on their emperor will find themselves lost to the sands of history, unremembered and unmourned."

When he finished, the Galra spoke his doubts to the commander.

"You can't possibly be thinking about pledging to him. And what's all that about becoming a peaceful empire? He's too weak to be our emperor."

"Enough. Lotor lit the flame. We are honor-bound to do as he says, even if it is... strange. We will be pledging to Lotor."

"You're weak, too."

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear, Lieutenant Lahn. _I'm_ in charge of this shielding facility. My word is law."

With that, Lahn grudgingly agreed.

"Aye, sir. Shield at 85 percent. Next radiation event in three Vargas."

As the solar flare went away, the shield lowered itself before the commander spoke.

"Recharge and prepare for the next radiation sequence. Open a hailing frequency to Galra Command."

Unfortunately, they were met with another complication.

"Sir, hostile ships incoming."

Suddenly, a Galra cruiser arrived before Sendak spoke to them.

"Sending a message to Lotor, are we? And to think, I came here to offer you a chance to serve in the Fire of Purification. Fire the ion cannon."

With that, Sendak fired the ion cannon upon the planet the shield hovered above, decimating a city and causing casualties at great numbers.

Meanwhile, Dayak continued enlightening Hunk with pain repeatedly as he soon did a crane pose before Hunk complained.

"I did everything you told me!"

"Yes, but that fought face of yours is very un-Galra."

"It's just my face!"

As Dayak tried to strike him, he dodged it. And when she tried to strike again, he dodged again.

"Ha!"

Frustrated, Dayak attempted to strike repeatedly, with Hunk rapidly dodging. After Hunk survived a barrage of Dayak's "enlightening pain", she grew impressed.

"Very good."

As Hunk got up, Dayak struck his hands, making him exclaim as she corrected him.

"Owwie!"

"Showing complacency? Palen-bol!"

With that, she rapidly struck Hunk across the face again before an alarm went off before the commander spoke out to Lotor in the briefing room.

* * *

"The planet has already been fired upon and we do not have the means to protect ourselves. You must send assistance immediately."

"Understood."

Seeing the group gathered, Shiro wanted answers.

"What's going on?"

"One of our labor planet's is under attack from Sendak and his fleet."

This made Lance anxious and Jenny uneasy.

"Sendak? Not that guy again."

"If Lapis were here, she'd seriously want to take him out."

Pidge was more concerned about the planet, however.

"We've got to help that planet immediately."

However, Lotor and Ayame, who is now back in her normal form, saw through his ruse.

"Sendak would have us respond to his attack and draw us away from the Empire."

"Lotor's right. We can't take that risk. Unless... maybe Voltron can help while you attend to the empire."

"But, Xaira, I need you here. Without you—"

"Your plan has waited this long, Lotor. It can wait a little longer. But they can't."

Allura spoke up in favor of Ayame.

"Ayame is right. We must protect your innocent subjects."

"Of course. You're right."

"We will return as soon as we can."

With that, Allura and the others began walking out just as Lance noticed Jenny with her head down as he tried to get her to come along.

"Hey, aren't you... coming along?"

"No. You guys go ahead. I'll be okay."

Alphus noticed that look too before she went over to her.

"You know, you may not be able to pilot it anymore. But that doesn't make you exempt from riding with me."

This made Jenny widen her eyes at surprise.

"What? But—"

"I know. But now that I'm riding the White Lion again, I need to be sure I'm not too rusty. Especially not during this situation. I need you."

Jenny, feeling spurred on by Alphus and her own desire to help, put on a smile and spoke.

"Okay. Let's go."

With that, they began walking out of the briefing room just as Hunk spoke to Dayak.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to cut my training short."

"You dishonor me. A fight to the death!"

This made Hunk back away in fear before he spoke.

"Okay, we'll, I've got to go with them right now. But maybe we can put a pin in that? Reschedule for tomorrow? Or never?"

With that, Hunk jumped back on the elevator with the Paladins as it descended.

* * *

As the Paladins took off in their lions, Hunk grew curious about the situation.

"Hey, Dayak isn't really gonna fight me to the death, is she? Is she?"

Pidge came up with a solution for that.

"She seemed pretty serious. But I bet if you ask Lotor nicely, he can have her exiled."

"Oh, that'd be nice. Yeah, I'm not really in the mood to die, you know? Uh, speaking of, is anyone else scared that we're about to face Sendak? The Sendak 'who almost took all of the lions' Sendak? And who basically came back from the dead Sendak. That guy?"

As Hunk spoke, Shiro began to have a headache as he began groaning and hearing voices as Pidge replied to him.

"Come on, Hunk. We're Paladins. We got this. Right, Shiro?"

As she heard wincing and groaning, Pidge wanted to be sure he was okay.

"Shiro?"

"Pidge is right. Let's focus on our mission."

With that, the lions entered a wormhole to get to Sendak just as he continued bombarding the innocent citizens with ion cannons while sending his message.

"Take heed. Galra citizens who side with Lotor will be destroyed."

At that moment, the wormhole opened up just behind Sendak's cruiser and the lions mobilized in front of the cruiser in defiance as Sendak spoke.

"Here at your new master's bidding?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Haggar, Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor arrived at the White Hole before Acxa spoke to her.

"We've arrived at the coordinates. We can't go any further without losing power."

However, Haggar was certain it'd work out, despite the dangers.

"Stay on course."

As Haggar neared the White Hole, her markings began to glow as Shiro felt another headache in a stronger form as he grunted and groaned in agony before Ayame spoke to Shiro.

"Takashi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Come on, team. Let's form Voltron!"

* * *

Jenny then looked to Alphus as she spoke.

"Alphus, do you at least remember how to change it?"

Upon seeing the keyholes for her bayard and Ayame's, Alphus smirked as she plugged it in.

"This, I can do."

With that, the five lions became Voltron just as the White Lion accessed its robot form as they went towards Sendak while the soldier spoke to Sendak.

"Sir, the cannon's trainer in both Voltrons."

Having remembered what he considered their weakness from Arus, Sendak had a different target in mind.

"No. Aim them at the shield station."

As his cruiser trained upon the shield station, Sendak spoke to the Paladins.

"I know your true weakness. That you value the lives of others. And I will hammer that weakness until you are crushed beneath my heel."

With that, the ion cannon fired at the shield station, tearing the panels asunder, as well as any chance of blocking the next flare with Pidge seeing the disastrous results.

"No! Without those panels in place, the planet will be fully exposed!"

Jenny grew fearful of what it meant.

"Which means what?"

"They'll have no protection from the radiation bands!"

At the shield station, with the panels becoming loose, the commander began to worry.

"The entire planet is doomed."

Sendak saw this as an early victory, thinking that not even Voltron can piece it back together.

"Take us out of here. We've won the day."

As they took off, Lance didn't want to let him go after what he did.

"We can't let him get away!"

"Lance, there's no time. We've gotta did that shield as soon as—!"

Suddenly, Shiro grunted as he received another headache, but this time, getting a glimpse of Honerva walking towards the temple in Oriande. After which, Shiro began panting for recovery before Ayame checked again.

"Takashi, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. We can't leave that planet unprotected."

As Shiro recovered, he spoke with the Galra in charge of the shield station as Voltron got close.

"We are the Paladins of Voltron, working with the Emperor Lotor. We're here to help you. What is the status of your shield system?"

Being met with people who were willing to help, the commander spoke to them.

"Paladins, I am Commander Bogh. Our damage report indicates that a plate has been fractured. Our generator is offline and needs rebooting. Other plates have shifted out of their gravitational harnessing and must be repositioned. Only five doboshes until the next solar sequence."

Seeing how close the flare is from getting over to the station, Shiro spoke to Hunk for an idea.

"You're engineer, Hunk. How should we handle this?"

"We need to split up. Pidge, you handle the generator system."

"Then I'm gonna need Shiro to come with me. I can use his arm to repower the mainframe."

"Okay, Good. Allura, Lance, Alphus, Ayame, Jenny, I need you guys to re-fuse that fractured plate."

"Affirmative."

"You got it."

"Right."

"Consider it done."

"Hear ya."

"I'm gonna try to get the plates realigned."

Shiro, certain that the orders were clear, spoke to them.

"Okay. We've got our orders. Let's move!"

With that, the lions split up into five and Hunk went after one of the plates to push it back in place as Shiro and Pidge went below the station to enter and power up the station. As Hunk got close, he spoke with Commander Bogh, who gave him directions.

"Where does this plate need to be lined up?"

"You're moving plate 7-2. It needs to be aligned with plate 8-1."

As he got the message, Hunk spoke of another recurring issue.

"Got it, but those other plates are out of position. There's just no way I'll be able to move them all by myself, and Alphus and the others are busy at the moment."

"I can activate the manual thrusters on some of the plates. It'll be slow-going, but I—"

Suddenly, Lieutenant Lahn began training his weapon on Bogh.

"First, you side with Lotor and get our system attached by Sendak. Then, you willfully work with the Voltron, our sworn enemy!"

Bogh thought nothing of such a threat as he spoke.

"Get to your station and begin the thrust sequence. That's an order!"

Hunk, seeing such a ridiculous display, spoke with such constipation.

"Are you freaking kidding me?! PALEN-BOL!"

Hearing this, Bogh and Lahn looked at Hunk in shock.

"You're both a dishonor! Do you fight for yourselves, or do you fight for the Galra?"

"Galra!"

"Then victory or death! Enough of the bickering!"

Lahn felt himself to be justified as he spoke.

"We're going to die because of Commander Bogh."

"You know, long ago, there was a desperate group of Galra that thought they were going to die. They executed a spear-like attach known as the Killing Thrust. Those soldiers knew what it meant to put their life on the line. They won the day. Are you ready to put aside your differences and fight with me?"

With that, Bogh and Lahn places their fists on their chests as they spoke in unison.

"Vrepit Sa!"

Seeing this, Hunk grew surprised at how much Dayak taught him before he smiled to himself.

"Well, I guess all that pain did make me smarter."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the station, Hunk spoke to Shiro and Pidge as they made their way to the generator.

"Pidge, I'm gonna need you to restore main shield power to get this gravitational harnessing going."

"We're on it."

Once they made it there, Pidge turned to Shiro.

"Okay, Shiro, lets jack your hand into that terminal and we'll get this thing running in no time."

With that, Shiro began powering up the generator with his robot hand as Allura, Lance, Ayame, and Alphus dealt with a problem of their own as he spoke.

"Okay, broken massive shield plate. Don't suppose there's a quick tutorial video on how to fix this, is there?"

Hunk only spoke to Lance via communicator.

"Make sure the connection's straight. If it's even one degree off, the shield will fail."

This stressed Lance out as he spoke.

"That's not a tutorial!"

Allura then made another proposal as she spoke.

"If you hold them in place, then I could freeze them together."

Hearing this, Jenny spoke up.

"That sounds solid, I guess. But I don't think the ice will stand the radiation for very long."

This made Lance come up with a turnaround as he spoke to them.

"Hey, maybe after you freeze them, I could use my heat ray to weld them together."

This made Jenny smile as she spoke.

"Great idea, Lance!"

"Aww. Thanks, Jenny. I couldn't have thought of it without you, though. I mean, really, I think we make a great team. Here we are working, just the two of us."

Jenny corrected him as she spoke.

"Actually, Ayame, Alphus, and Allura are here too, you know."

This made Lance blush before Alphus spoke.

"If you're done flirting, Lance. We need to get to work."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hunk was having trouble pushing another plate as he grunted.

"This isn't working fast enough!"

Suddenly, the Yellow Lion gained a jet booster upgrade on its back before it used the upgrade to push the panel faster and go after one more plate as Lance gave them the news.

"They're all in place!"

With that, Allura fired an ice beam at it, freezing them together before she spoke.

"That should hold them."

"Hope this works!"

"You and me both. Okay, Alphus. If you're gonna fire, just push the lever on your left forward."

"Right."

With that, Alphus and Lance fired their own rays, the former being white while the latter's was red before the broken plate has been repaired as Jenny spoke up with Hunk bringing in the final plate.

"Hey! It worked!"

"Nice work, guys. Pidge, you ready? We're almost at the radiation belt."

"Hold on. I need just a few more minutes."

* * *

However, they didn't have a few minutes as Shiro's vision began to blur, replacing his hand with that of Haggar's as she formed a magical symbol on the ground as she was surrounded by the guards. After which, Lance noticed how close the flare was getting.

"Uh, guys, that radiation belt is getting closer!"

Fortunately, Hunk installed the last piece just in time as he spoke.

"Last piece in place. Fire up that power, Pidge!"

On command, Pidge pushed a button from his gauntlet before it began powering up with the shield barrier popping up from above as she spoke.

"Shield's up!"

As it happened, however, Shiro began to see himself floating in nothingness before the White Lion himself began to consume him, causing Shiro to exclaim in pain, making Pidge worried as the power went off.

"Shiro, no!"

* * *

As the power went off, it began to trail to where the patch was made with Lance asking about the situation.

"What's going on with the plates?"

That was the least of his worries as the accumulated electricity went to where the patch was made: directly below Jenny, Ayame, and Alphus, as he gasped and took action.

"Guys!"

As he took off, Allura became worried.

"Lance!"

With that, he shoved Jenny, Ayame, and Alphus out of the way before taking the full brunt of the blast, earning his screams before the Red Lion deactivated, much to Jenny's horror.

"Lance, no!"

With that, she ran to the mouth and spoke to Alphus via communicator.

"Eject me! Now!"

Alpha didn't hesitate to comply as she pulled both levers closer to her and it spat Jenny out as she used her jet pack to fly over to Lance as she spoke to Allura.

"Allura, I need your help!"

"I'm already on it."

To her surprise, she saw Allura flying over to the Red Lion as she turned her attention back to Lance.

"Lance, please respond! Don't do this to me!"

* * *

As she flew closer, Hunk gave the bad news as the flare grew closer.

"The broken plate shorted out. Lance isn't responding, Jenny and Allura jumped out of their Lions... what else could possibly go wrong right now?"

To resolve this, Hunk took the broken plate and pushed it back in place as he spoke to Pidge, who was hanging on to Shiro and pushing him upwards, who groaned at his headache.

"Pidge, what happened to the power? We're almost at the radiation belt."

"I know. I'm on it. Come on, Shiro."

* * *

Inside the Red Lion, Jenny and Allura were mortified to see him unconscious, both of them fearing the worst as the former began breaking down.

"No. No, no, no! I'm not gonna let you die on me! I WON'T!"

As Jenny began pushing on his chest, doing CPR in vain before Allura stopped her and spoke.

"Jenny, please! Calm yourself!"

"I can't! Lance can't die on me! I can't let him!"

"Listen!"

Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Jenny stopped herself before looking at her and she spoke.

"What about your powers from Oriande? Haven't you obtained them?"

This made Jenny realize what she could've been doing as she spoke.

"Oh. Right. But... how do I even begin to—?"

Suddenly, Allura took her left hand and placed them on his head while placing her right hand on his chest before she spoke.

"Now, close your eyes, and let your life flow through his."

"Okay..."

Scared as she was, she knew Allura would never steer her wrong. So, she took a deep breath and emitted a blue aura before it entombed Lance in it and restarted the Red Lion at the same time Hunk installed the broken piece.

"Let's try this again."

As Pidge struggled to bring Shiro's hand to the generator, Bogh began the countdown.

"Radiation exposure in four... three..."

"Pidge, hit it now!"

* * *

"Come on."

"Two... one..."

At the very last second, Pidge placed Shiro's hand up on the scanner, turning the shield on just on time for the radiation belt to only hit the shield before Hunk and Pidge got excited.

"Great job! We did it!"

"It worked!"

Bogh then spoke to the Galra personnel.

"Shielding complete. Recharge and prepare for the next radiation sequence."

* * *

In the Red Lion, Lance woke up to see Jenny's teary face as she suddenly hugged him.

"Lance! Thank the ancients you're alive!"

As she began to sob on him, she realized that the tears were quickly starting to fill up before she tried to stop as Lance spoke.

"You saved me."

"I owed you one."

Then, Jenny put on a look of sadness before she spoke.

"Lance... tell me something. This... agony I'm feeling right now... is that what I've been putting you through when I was hurt like that?"

"Well... yeah. So what?"

Jenny then hugged him tightly as she spoke.

"Let's promise not to hurt each other like that ever again. I can't stand it anymore, knowing how much I've hurt you..."

As Jenny began to tear up again, forgetting why she'd stopped, Lance hugged her back as he spoke.

"Hey. You didn't hurt me. You got me scared, sure, but you did everything you could to save me. I can't get mad at you for that."

"But, Lance..."

"It's okay, Jen. I've always liked that about you. So, please. Don't ever stop being the same kind and caring person you are just for my sake. Okay?"

Jenny only held her head down as she smiled before responding.

"Okay... thank you..."

Seeing their moment, Allura smiled at the two of them in reverence.

* * *

Later, Bogh thanked the Paladins for fixing the problem, mainly to Hunk.

"Thank you for reminding us what it means to be Galra. Vrepit Sa!"

"Vrepit Sa! Man, that's weird to say."

This made the group laugh at his comment.

* * *

As the lions were out in space, Ayame spoke to him.

"You did a really great job, Hunk. you really helped them get along. If Dayak knew about this, she'd be very proud."

However, Hunk was sleeping at this up until he heard Dayak.

"Huh?! What about Dayak?! Where is she?!"

This made the group laugh even more while Shiro received another headache.

* * *

This particular headache showed him a vision of Haggar standing in front of the temple and changing her dark blue skin color to that of an Altean's before her blank yellow eyes turned into those of yellow sclera with a pink pupil inside her eye.


	48. Razor's Edge

**Chapter 47:** Razor's Edge

At Base: Xanthium, Komar set the jar of the powerful Quintessence from Xanthia inside the siphon and set it on a timer as the device began ticking down as he placed himself in front of the path where the beam was to hit before it struck him, causing him to groan in pain before the bolt ceased. Afterwards, he looked at himself in the mirror to see that there was little change on his face, the fact that his scarred and shriveled face no longer had wrinkles being evident in itself just as Vantiv became curious.

"What exactly are you doing, Doctor?"

"After Vaxel's failed attempt to seize the weapon, I noticed trace amounts of this rare breed of Quintessence and extracted what was left of it into the jar. If one tiny sample of it worked, a while vat of it will reduce my damaged appearance to be but ancient history."

"Oh, so you're doing cosmetic work. In that case, I'll leave that to you."

With that, Vantiv simply walked away unimpressed, something that Komar took great offense to as he snarled to himself.

"Just you wait... when I'm done here, you'll regret turning your back on me."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the ship, Keith and Sandra widened their eyes before they spoke.

"You're our... mother?"

"How? How did you get to Earth? How— How did you meet our father?! How are you so sure?!"

Krolia only spoke calmly to her children.

"I'm sure. This isn't how I hoped to meet you again, and this isn't how I wanted to tell you, but it's the truth. We can talk about this later."

Sandra felt otherwise as she spoke with tears in her eyes.

"What?! You don't just drop a bomb like this and tell us you'll explain later, Mom. That's not how it works!"

"We've got more important things to deal with."

That obviously didn't sit well with Sandra as she snapped.

"I thought you left us! I thought you _hated_ us! I WANT ANSWERS NOW!"

However, as a consequence of her outburst, Xanthia suddenly startled itself awake before suddenly grabbing Lapis by her head, worrying Adea as she spoke.

"Lapis!"

Suddenly, Lapis' struggled attempts to feee herself instantly ceased as her eyes flowed dark purple before she spoke monotonously.

"Who... are all of you?"

Adea grew fearful of what became of her before she got her luxite Blade our and tried to hack at Xanthia.

"Let go of her!"

When she tried, however, Xarnas stopped her.

"Wait. Xanthia is communicating through her. She was barely able to speak before."

Then, Xanthia spoke again through Lapis.

"Who are you?"

Adea, nervous as she was, tried her best to reply.

"I'm... uh, I'm Adea. And I'm Galra?"

That comment only made Xanthia yell out in anger as she lunged at Adea and slammed her to the ground before she spoke again.

"You're Galra?!"

"Ah! Yes! No! Uh, I don't know! Stop hitting me!"

Xarnas, realizing what could happen if she didn't calm herself, the most likely event being the destruction of the Violet Lion and its passengers, tried to bring her to her senses.

"Xanthia, stop!"

At that moment, Xanthia gazed at him and began to recognize him.

"Father? Is that you?"

"Yes, Xanthia. Leave them alone. They're Galra, yes, but they're fighting against the tyranny of their own kind, just as I've told you before. Come to your senses and think."

At that moment, Sandra, Keith, and Krolia before the former of the three spoke up.

"Guys, are you okay?"

Suddenly, Xanthia dropped Lapis as she looked up before Adea went to her and checked up on her.

"Lapis! Are you okay?"

"Yeah... but it still... wasn't pleasant."

Xarnas explained the reason for her side effect.

"It's normal to have that reaction. After all, you were forcibly used as a speaker for Xanthia. Back at the base, she could barely form a word or two."

"So, until she learns to communicate, I'm just gonna be her microphone?"

"Unless someone can actually decipher what she's trying to say, yes."

Lapis groaned at the very idea before Luzria spoke to Krolia.

"So, barring any unforeseen events, what do we do now?"

"We're going after the enriched Quintessence that mutated Xanthia into Ranveig's super weapon."

This made the whole group, sans Xarnas, surprised.

"What?"

"Sandy, Kolivan, Lapis, and I have been searching for that Quintessence for a long time."

"Yeah. But we didn't find anything."

This made Adea speak up next as she stood by Xanthia.

"How are you so sure we can find it?"

Krolia explained as she went down to the hangar bay with the others.

"I was with Ranveig when an unmarked cargo ship passed into his region. When we checked it out, there was no crew aboard. The ship has been nearly torn to pieces, but inside, a single vat of Quintessence remained. It was unlike any other Quintessence we'd seen."

Atchiam herself began to grow curious as she spoke.

"Were there any navigation records aboard?"

"No, but I analyzed the ship personally. The radiation signature indicated it had passed through the quantum abyss."

Upon hearing this, Keith felt it to be familiar.

"Quantum abyss? You mean where we fought Zarkon and Kaecilius before?"

"Yes."

This made Xanthia confused as it let out a strange chirp before Adea figures it out as she spoke.

"I... don't think Xanthia knows what the quantum abyss is."

"It's a part of the galaxy where dense neutron stars orbit even larger dark stars. In the quantum abyss, planets and other celestial bodies are being pulled and torn in different directions. It's a chaotic, ever-changing environment. And the presence of such massive objects has unusual effects on gravitational waves and space-time itself."

"And that's where we're heading?"

"Yes."

This made Xanthia begin to tremble a bit before Xarnas and Adea looked at her as the latter spoke.

"Something tells me she's not gonna like it."

"No one would, Adea. She's had her share of being alone. If we're not careful, it can happen again."

Not willing to see her tremble in fear, Adea walked up to the beast before hugging her and speaking softly to her.

"Don't worry. If we do get lost, at least you'll have me with you."

Xanthia only backed up before looking away, confusing Adea as Xarnas knew the reason for it.

"I don't think she's quite used to you yet. The Galra have done... unforgivable things. She needs some time."

Seeing how Xanthia crouched, waiting to be left alone, Adea somehow got the picture as she looked at the poor creature.

"I understand."

* * *

At the Central Command, Lotor spoke with Alphus, Jenny, and Allura as they worked on the ship.

"Your brother, King Alfor was a gifted alchemist whose unique ability to infuse the Voltron ore with Altean energy, granting it and the Paladins access to the Quintessence Field. Now you, Jennifer, and Allura possess that same gift."

Upon hearing this, Allura smiled before she ceased her work for now to take the time to speak to Lotor.

"Our visit to Oriande has taught us more than I ever thought possible. Thank you."

"No, thank you, Princess. With your help, we can finally supply the empire with Quintessence. You and your friends are the key to bringing peace to the universe."

Hearing this, Alphus began to get nostalgic, as did Allura.

"Peace. My brother and I wanted the same thing when we built the lions. Look how far we've come since then."

"It is an honor to follow in his footsteps and continue his work. And... to do so alongside you."

"Like the days of long ago, our royal alliance will inspire others."

As Lotor took her hands, Allura closed her eyes and felt the embrace before Jenny turned to see it and widened her eyes before Pidge, Hunk, and Lance spoke up.

"You guys starting without us?"

"Yeah, you didn't think to maybe call the engineers before you began building your inter-reality Quintessence field magical Altean alchemy super ship?"

"Right. You didn't think to call the engineers... and me?"

As Lance leaned on the table, he accidentally made the table of tools fall before he tried to grab onto the wrench, only to lose his grip on it as it clattered, making Jenny smile before giggling to herself while Lance grew confused as Allura and Alphus spoke.

"What?"

"We appreciate that you want to help. Unfortunately, there's not a lot for you to do."

"Infusing the comet ore with Altean alchemy is quite different than simply building a ship."

Pidge and Hunk knew the reason for it as they spoke.

"Magic."

Allura then spoke to the group as she looked at them.

"We'll certainly call you if we're in need of assistance."

Hearing this, Hunk didn't see any reason to stay.

"Hmm. Oh, well. More time to integrate those Galra shields with our Altean tech. There's gotta he a way to do it."

Then, Lance looked up at the two, feeling worried about being left out.

"You sure you don't need a... fifth wheel for help?"

Nobody seemed to respond as Lotor checked on the statistics of the ship with Allura as Lance asked again.

"No?"

When he received no answer again, Lance began to walk away before Jenny took notice of it and felt bad for him. At that moment, Jenny turned to Lotor before she spoke.

"Hey, Lotor? Can I take a break? You guys seem to have this taken care of."

Lotor looked to her and assumed it was because she was still trying to accept that the White Lion doesn't belong to her and didn't want to impede their progress, which was understandable as he nodded.

"I believe it should be fine. But be sure to come back when we need you."

"Okay, then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Sendak's cruiser floated throughout space as he began to ponder his next move as his lieutenant was with him.

"So, Voltron survived the Omega Shield fiasco. And the citizens?"

"Yes, Sendak. That would appear to be the case."

"Hmm... perhaps I haven't hammered it down enough..."

Suddenly, an alarm went off as Sendak looked to his lieutenant for an answer.

"What is going on?!"

"I'll check the systems, sir."

As he did, however, he noticed multiple breaches popping up like a swarm of cockroaches.

"There's a breach in Sector 6! Now in Sector 5! And 4! 3! 2! The intruder's right on top of us!"

At that moment, Sendak prepared for the worst as he held his arm at the ready and braved for the inevitable explosion before a bolt of Dark Quintessence burst through the door and Sendak was met with none other than Komar.

"Sendak of the Fire of Purification. You have a debt to pay."

With that, he fired a bolt at Sendak, knocking his other arm away before imprisoning the orb between his new arm and his body before firing a second bolt to knock him unconscious as he walked toward him before placing his hand on him and vanishing in a dark mist.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Violet Lion was headed towards the quantum abyss towards a black hole at the center as Lapis piloted it alongside Sandra, Atchiam, and Luzria before the leader spoke to Krolia.

"I think we're here."

"Bring us in. Stay alert."

As they got closer, Keith remembered when Omegus' influence made it give way to dark rays and when they rescued Alphus before Keith spoke to her next.

"Are you sure we should go in there?"

"Ranveig sent probes trying to track the Quintessence. The probes picked up a path that was relatively unaffected by space-time."

"Where does that path go?"

"We never found out. The probes were all destroyed."

This made Adea concerned as she spoke next.

"By what?"

"I'm not sure. Keep sharp."

As the Violet Lion went towards the hole, Lapis noticed a creature in the shape of a flying eyeball with tentacles behind it as she spoke.

"Huh? What is that?"

Suddenly, it snarled as it bared its tentacles before lunging towards the Violet Lion and attaching itself onto the head before it was accompanied by other flying creatures just like it. And to make matters worse, the same creatures that once arrived via quantum abyss appeared as well and swarmed the Violet Lion as Lapis spoke.

"Krolia, we've got a problem!"

"We need to shake them loose before they breach the hull!"

As the Violet Lion became swarmed, one of the eyeball creatures phased into its underbelly and popped up where Keith, Krolia, Xarnas, and Xanthia were before it snarled, Irving Xanthia to open her mouth as a dark beam of Quintessence seemed to emerge from it, making Adea worried about her shooting at them.

"No, wait!"

However, when she fired, it only struck the creature, blowing it up before Adea smiled as Krolia spoke to Lapis.

"Thanks."

"Lapis, what's our status?"

With the creatures swarming around them, Lapis easily gave her the bad news.

"Violet's been damaged and her thrusters are gone! I can't hold her!"

Remembering what Xanthia did to the creature, Adea had an idea as she activated her helmet and spoke to Lapis via communicator link.

"Lapis, open the cargo bay!"

"What? But why?"

"Just do it!"

With that, Lapis opened the hangar bay before they were met with the dark creatures and Adea turned to Xanthia and nodded before Xanthia began firing at the creatures both dark and eyeball-like as they cut through the dark barrier before Adea spoke up to Lapis.

"Now do a barrel roll!"

"What?! But you guys would be tossed out!"

"Not as long as we hang on!"

"Okay, but don't fall off on me!"

With that, Lapis began spinning the Violet Lion around, making Xanthia's beam cut through the dark barrier before it dissipated, leaving Lapis to close the bay doors before it went to a sizable meteor before it could get sucked in. With the danger eliminated, Adea took a deep breath and turned to Xanthia.

"Man. That Quintessence really went all-out on you, huh?"

In response to that, Xanthia picked Adea up from her back before dropping her to the floor, making her yelp before she spoke.

"Right. Not comfortable yet."

With the worst appearing to be over, Keith spoke to Krolia.

"What were those things?"

"I don't know, but they're gone now."

Then, Lapis gave them the bad news.

"So is Vi. Those creatures managed to drain her Quintessence during that stunt. And it had the coordinates to guide us through the quantum abyss, so we're lost, too."

Xarnas then spoke up as he got out of the hangar with Adea, Xanthia, and the others.

"Then, we'll have to travel on foot and navigate through this space ourselves. We'll also have to manually move the Violet Lion somewhere where it won't be pulled in."

This made Adea have doubts considering its size.

"But how are we gonna move it?"

"Xanthia's mutation gave her a decent boost in strength as well. If we can push it along with us, it won't get pulled in. And as long as we stay within the borders of the space-time drop-offs, we should be safe."

"So, basically, stay close so that we're not drawn in and stretched into nothingness. Is that it, Xarnas?"

"Precisely. Come on."

With that, Adea looked to Xanthia as she spoke.

"Xanthia, can you help us push the Violet Lion with us, please?"

Xanthia didn't seem to care as she only sat down. Not knowing what to make of the situation, mostly due to her not having eyes or eyebrows, Lapis tried to get her attention.

"Xanthia. Are you asleep? Xanthia..."

Xarnas realized that she still wasn't comfortable before he spoke to her.

"Oh, right. Xanthia, would you be a dear and help us push the Violet Lion?"

In response, Xanthia got up and jumped up toward the Violet Lion before pushing it, surprising Adea as she looked at Xarnas.

"I wouldn't force it if I were you."

As Adea gave him a stank face, they felt a tremor coming on as the meteor practically shook like an earthquake as Keith and Sandra turned to Krolia.

"Huh?"

"What's going on?"

Suddenly, the black hole in the center began to go supernova as Krolia covered Keith while Adea used Xanthia for shelter before Keith found himself alone in a white background before he tried to look for anyone that was left.

"Hello?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Adea did the same thing as she found herself alone.

"What? Lapis? Atchiam? Xanthia? Luzria? Keith? Sandra? Krolia?"

Suddenly, she heard two babies crying from far away before seeing Krolia and who she'd guess is her husband as they each carried one baby: one a boy, and the other a girl as they spoke.

 _"We'll name them 'Yorak' and 'Dorma'."_

 _The father, however, had better ideas._

 _"How about 'Keith' and 'Sandra?'"_

 _"'Keith.' 'Sandra.' I like them."_

This made Adea smile before she suddenly changed into Sandra who heard a sinister voice behind her.

 _"So you do have a voice..."_

Sandra then looked behind her to see a Galra chief with a blind left eye, evident by the white background, and a scar down his right eye before he suddenly changed into Shiro who spoke to Keith.

 _"Hello, Keith."_

 _"Huh?"_

At that moment, Keith's face changed to Adea's face before it changed to Sandra's as their voices along with Shiro's and the presently unknown figure's overlap as they saw the Galra cruisers arrive at Altea before showing the unknown Galra shouting at the top of his lungs as the lightning flashed on him in the rain.

" _Yes, I know."_

" _It's gonna be okay."_

" _This war..."_

" _Let go!"_

" _...is nearly over."_

" _We just have to get back to the Castle."_

" _We..."_

" _Shiro!"_

" _Why are you doing this?!"_

" _Are not going anywhere!"_

* * *

As his scream faded, Keith, Adea, and Sandra were brought back to reality as he spoke to his mother while his sister tried to process this.

"What was that? Were those visions real?"

"I've never seen that Galra before... and he was... hurting me."

"He didn't. Not yet. Time collapses this close to dark stars. Going through the light triggers glimpses of the past and the future."

This made Adea widen her eyes from overhearing this before looking to Xanthia.

"If you won't be comfortable enough to tell me who you were back then, it wouldn't matter, okay? Because all I want is to get to know you. To understand how hurt you've been. To-to get along. Like it or not, you owe me that."

Xanthia only held her head closer to Adea, making her nervous before she rubbed her head on her chest, asking for her reassurance. One look at her was enough for Adea to know that she'd be crying if she could. So, she hugged her back as she caressed the rough shell on her forehead.

"I mean it, you know. I want to know you. Please..."

* * *

At the Castle, Pidge and Hunk were working while Lance was sitting by himself at the desk.

"It's amazing how the Galran subroutines translate almost one-to-one with the Altean axiom inhibitors."

"Okay, Lance, let's test this puppy."

However, no response came from Lance as he still pondered what Allura could be doing as Hunk figured it out.

"Oh, I think lover boy Lance is a little distracted _not_ thinking about the princess. _"_

Pidge saw her cue to fire a small hole at Lance with a flick, hitting him on the head before he sat up straight and felt the bump.

"Ow! What the heck?"

When he turned around, Hunk spoke in a somewhat British accent as he spoke to Lance.

"Oh, Lance, could you stop daydreaming about me and test the connection?"

Lance didn't like that one bit.

"Ha ha. Not funny. And I'm not daydreaming about you. I mean her. I chose Jenny, remember?"

Pidge then spoke up to him.

"That's good. Because it seems like Allura's got a thing with Lotor anyway."

This got Lance's heart skipping a beat as he spoke in panic before Hunk worsened it.

"A thing?!"

"Yeah, a thing. They're probably gonna get married, you know, have babies with beautiful, glowing, white alien hair. All that stuff."

Pidge joined in with Hunk's idea before they began acting.

"He's probably proposing right now. Princess Allura, will you marry me?"

"Oh, Lotor. You bad boy, of course I will."

This got Lance groaning in anger before he heard the doors open and saw Jenny outside the door, making him drop his temper instantly before Jenny saw how Pidge and Hunk were laughing before she cleared her throat. Once she did, the two stopped their teasing and looked at Jenny in surprise before Pidge spoke and she explained in a bitter tone.

"Jenny! We, uh, thought you were busy."

"Lotor said I could take a break. I was going to help you guys, but then, I saw you making fun of Lance. And for a stupid reason, too. He doesn't have a thing with Allura, you guys. He's just concerned about whether or not we should take Lotor's word at face value, not that you cared."

This made Hunk embarrassed before he spoke.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Too bad. Because you can forget any help from me now. C'mon, Lance."

This got Lance confused as he spoke.

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Yeah. I needed to have a break with you, Lance. Come on."

With that, Jenny took Lance by his hand and walked outside with him as Pidge and Hunk were left alone before the latter spoke.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side."

"Agreed."

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Sendak was strapped to the chair with scorch marks on his armor and found difficulty in removing himself from it as he demanded answers out of the doctor.

"You! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Simple. I intend to restore my youth that was robbed of me back on Earth. As such, your pure Galran life force will be instrumental in achieving my goal to repair my damaged cells. Consider yourself lucky."

"You traitorous scoundrel! When I get free, I'll see to it that you'll regret it dearly!"

Komar only gave him a dark smile as he replied.

"I think not..."

With that, the siphon activated, firing a dark purple and black bolt of Dark Quintessence at Sendak as he screamed upon impact.

* * *

In the quantum abyss, Keith, Sandra, Krolia, Lapis, Adea, Xanthia, and the others were hopping from meteor to meteor before the ground of the meteor suddenly broke apart as Krolia spoke to Adea, who'd unfortunately let go of Xanthia as a result.

"Adea, you're getting too close to the gravity wells. Use your thrusters."

"I'm trying! Don't you think I'm trying?"

As Adea was getting sucked in, Xanthia had a look of concern over her grotesque face before she leaped to another meteor as Adea tossed her luxite blade in a tow line towards the meteor close to it before she pulled on it, launching Adea close to her before the girl hugged her.

"Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much... I was so scared..."

Right about that moment, a solar flare appeared again as Adea looked into the light, as did Keith and Sandra.

* * *

 _Not long after, they ended up seeing Earth, as well as two Galra ships near it as Krolia was piloting it before another soldier spoke up to her._

" _Is it possible? The signature is nearly identical to that of the Red Lion's."_

" _We should obtain visual confirmation before we call it in."_

" _Negative. We've never received another reading like this before. There's a_ _Voltron_ _Lion on this planet. I'm sure of it. Call it in immediately. That's an order."_

 _There was a moment of silence before Krolia was told to do so again._

" _I said call it in."_

" _Vrepit Sa."_

 _Suddenly, she veered her ship backwards before firing on the other ship as he began to speak against Krolia._

" _You think you can take all the glory for yourself?"_

" _I'm not looking for glory."_

 _With that, she continued firing on the soldier before her ship took the hit and forced her to go closer to him before firing lasers at him, decimating him along with his ship. However, her ship was still headed towards Earth as the hit damaged its engine while Krolia tried to get a precise landing point as she groaned from the speed of descent. While she had difficulty managing, her ship came crashing down onto the Earth, near where a house resided. Moments after the house's lights flickered on, the owner of said House used an axe to break the ship open and find Krolia inside as she tried to recover._

* * *

After the flashback, Keith and Sandra gasped in surprise before the children spoke to her.

"That's how you and Dad met."

"How did you know to look for the Blue Lion on Earth?"

"We didn't. After Kaecilius found the Red Lion on the ruins of Altea, the Galra, particularly Komar, engineered a way to pick up on the lions' signatures from close range. Zarkon had thousands of scouts searching for them. The Blade of Marmora made sure to embed agents in as many of those scout teams as possible, in an effort to prevent the Galra from obtaining any more lions. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Suddenly, another solar flare cane their way before Krolia spoke to them.

"It's coming again!"

With that, Keith and Sandra stood ready to face whatever the flare has to show them next as they held hands.

* * *

 _After the flare died down, Rogue Thrust, Xarnas, Xanthia, Keith, and Sandra found themselves standing before the Blue Lion, Krolia, and their father, now known as Mark as she spoke._

" _I never thought I'd see another lion in my lifetime."_

" _You've been telling me about this ship for months, but this is beyond words. Are you sure you don't want me to contact the Garrison? They could help."_

" _We've discussed this. It could put your entire civilization in jeopardy."_

" _Does this mean you're gonna contact your people and continue your mission?"_

" _My ship being destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't go back even if I could. I have a new mission now. I'm going to stay here and protect the Blue Lion."_

 _With that, Mark took her hand in his before he smiled at her._

" _I want to help."_

 _This made Krolia smile at him before the flashback faded away._

* * *

When the flash died down, Keith and Sandra looked at her in surprise.

"You were stuck on Earth."

"Why didn't you want to go back?"

"There was no better place I could be."

* * *

At the Castle, Jenny and Lance stood by the White Lion as they gazed at it. By the way she looked at it, Lance could tell Jenny was upset at how things happened and questioned whether or not she actually needed to bring him into this. All the same, he needed to be sure she's coping with it.

"Not for nothing, Jenny, but... how are you feeling?"

"Empty. Like a part of me just drifted away. Without me ever knowing if... if it'll ever come back."

Lance only sighed sadly at her before he spoke.

"Okay."

Hearing the solemness in his voice, Jenny began to feel bad for Lance as she spoke to him.

"Uh, how about you? How are you feeling?"

"I feel pathetic."

Then, remembering his own words from when he had real talk with Laika back at Beta Traz, Lance gave her a reminder.

"I talked about it with Laika, back when I thought he was Slav, but... I used to make fun of people who would get their hearts broken. Heck, I was the one breaking hearts!"

As she remembered him saying these words before, Jenny's memory began to click.

"Now that you mention it, it does sound familiar. But if you wanna talk pathetic, try talking to me about it. Everyone's working really hard ever since Oriande. Me? I'm just kinda useless. It's like, I've only been able to get as far as I have because I had White by my side. But without her, I... I just feel like I'm reduced to being normal again. Even with those powers I got. Powers I still don't know how to use. Heck, I couldn't even use them to save you when you pushed us away to take the hit. If it wasn't for Allura..."

Jenny began to shed sad tears at what could've happened if she didn't help as she tried to speak clearly.

"I... I would've killed myself anyway. I never would've forgiven myself for having you do that for me. What would've been the point in sticking around if I couldn't even save you?"

Hearing the sadness in her voice, Lance hugged her before he spoke.

"Hey. You don't need to do that. I should know. I felt that way every single time you put your life on the line for us and got hurt."

"Yeah. I know... Why did payback have to hurt so much?"

"What? No. I didn't do it for payback; I did it for you. Because I love you. Because I love all of you. If anything ever happened I... I would've done the same thing."

As she listened to him saying those words, Jenny widened her eyes and began to blush as she leaned closer to him before he sobbed on her and she spoke softly, trying to cheer him up again.

"Hey, Lance. Don't do that, okay. Don't even say it. Who else am I gonna hang with?"

"But that's exactly what you... would've done..."

Realizing that their actions would always be the same, no matter who goes, the two looked at each other before they chuckled a bit, soon turning into an uproar of joyful laughter before it died down softly and Jenny looked to the ground as she pondered something.

"What kind of a pair are we to do this to each other?"

Hearing her question, Lance replied just as softly as he caressed her hair.

"I guess... we're a really good and selfless kind of people that can't stand to lose anyone they love."

"Yeah... but there's a lot more to us than that, isn't there?"

This made Lance look at her in confusion before Jenny sighed, afraid it wasn't getting through to him.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

As she began to walk away, though, Lance held onto her hand.

"Wait, don't go anywhere."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to ask you something. Just for tonight. Can I... sleep with you?"

This earned Jenny's blush before recalling what he said before and smiled as she spoke.

"Well, sure. What are we waiting for?"

Suddenly, she heard a squeak from afar and saw the mice below them before smiling as she spoke.

"Uh, before we do, I think they might need some cleaning."

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

As he nodded, Jenny noticed Lance was still having a sad look before she spoke.

"What's up? I thought we took care of that problem with... us."

"It's not about us. It's just... I'm really worried about Allura. I mean... what if Lotor—?"

Before he could go on, Jenny put her finger over his mouth.

"Hold it! Look, Allura's clearly got feelings for Lotor and he's got feelings for her, just like the two of us have feelings for each other."

"So?"

"So, don't you want her to be happy? After all, we've got each other, right?"

Lance then looked to Jenny with a small smile before he nodded.

"You know what? You're right."

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Komar injected the Quintessence drained from Sendak into an empty beaker and installed it inside the siphon before placing himself in its path waiting for the countdown to end as he grinned. Once it ended, a bolt of Sendak's Quintessence shot at Komar, intensifying his body as he groaned from the strenuous process as within his body, the damaged cells began to sustain themselves as they glowed light purple before the jar was empty. With the Quintessence of Zarkon's late Commander, Komar took his breath before standing up on his legs and gazing at himself in the mirror, still seeing his damaged face.

"What? It failed...? But how?"

As he stood up, Komar noticed that he didn't need his siphon to help him up before he came to a conclusion.

"Of course. It didn't work in restoring my damaged cells, but it did help to restart them. I knew Sendak's Quintessence wouldn't disappoint. Now for phase two. And then... Lotor, Haggar, Krolia. They will _all_ pay dearly for what they did to me..."

* * *

In the quantum abyss, Lapis, Atchiam, Luzria, Adea, and Xarnas were on top of Xanthia as they pushed the Violet Lion wherever Keith, Sandra, and Krolia leapt while the son grew tired.

"The rate we're going, it's gonna take a lifetime to reach the end."

Krolia, however, felt it best to press on.

"We have to keep moving, however long it takes."

"Without food and water, we're never gonna make it."

"Keith's right, Mom. We have to come up with another plan."

As if on cue, two giant creatures emerged from below and rose up, catching Sandra's attention as she spoke.

"What the—? What are those things?"

"I don't know. But whatever they are, these creatures seem to know their way through the quantum abyss without being drawn into the space-time drop-offs."

"No way..."

Seeing the opportunity, Xanthia began pushing the Violet Lion towards one of them, making Adea surprised.

"Hey! What're you doing?"

Upon seeing the direction she turned, Xarnas figured it out as he spoke.

"She's trying to drive the lion onto the creature to save us a lot of time."

Lapis then looked down to Krolia and her children before she turned to Atchiam.

"Atchiam, send them a line!"

"Got it."

With that, Atchiam chucked her luxite blade towards the meteor that they stood on before she spoke.

"You're welcome to come aboard."

With that, the group climbed up and got onto the Violet Lion before Xanthia managed to land it on top of one of the creatures just as another flare came toward them as Krolia spoke.

"Here it comes. Brace yourselves!"

* * *

 _As they did, Keith and Sandra suddenly realized that they were in their cabin with their parents holding their children as they were being fed milk just as her luxite blade's symbol flower before Krolia looked outside and deduced what the lights on the sky were._

" _They're scouts. They must've picked up the Blue Lion's signal. We need to stop them before they report back to their command."_

" _What's the plan?"_

 _Krolia explained as she got out the charges and a button with which to activate them._

" _I have explosives. They aren't powerful enough to destroy a fighter. But if we detonate them in the intake valves, thy could stop them from taking off. When they're set, use this to detonate the charges and take out the ships."_

" _What will_ you _be doing?"_

" _I'm gonna find out what the scouts know and get rid of them."_

* * *

 _Later, Krolia and Mark found the ships that landed and the latter initiated the plan to set the charges and make a dash for it as he took off. Unfortunately, he was in the sights of a Galran scout before he fired his rifle, taking him out before he fell to the ground in pain as the bullet pierced him, petrifying Adea who watched the scene as Lapis tensed her hand angrily and turned her head away with Luzria, Xarnas, and Atchiam in shock before Xanthia went over to Adea and held her close to comfort her._

 _Inside the cave, the scouts set up electrical devices to surround the barrier as one of them spoke to a familiar face._

" _Doctor, these devices of yours. Are you sure they can pierce through its barrier?"_

" _We're not here to destroy its barrier. We're here to reclaim the Blue Lion. Whether or not its barrier is functional makes no difference."_

 _Suddenly, a luxite blade landed on the computer near the doctor and the scout before the former turned to the latter._

" _Shoot down the intruder."_

 _Immediately, the scout opened fire as Krolia dodged the blasts before kicking the scout away and retrieving her luxite blade. When she tried to attack, her luxite was blocked by his siphon as it clashed against her weapon before the hood of the doctor was removed to show him with raven hair, yellow sclerae, and silver irises before he spoke._

" _I'd drop my weapon if I were you, traitor."_

 _On cue more scouts appeared before one of them spoke._

" _Komar, I spotted her sneaking in."_

" _Tell me something I don't know."_

" _She was with a primitive who was setting explosives on our ships."_

" _And?"_

" _He's been neutralized."_

" _No!"_

 _Hearing a mournful reaction from Krolia, Komar looked at her and smirked._

" _So you do know fear... Excellent. That means you know the time to drop your weapon. And it's now._ _Unless you don't mind being drained like a leech."_

 _To demonstrate what he meant, Komar activated his siphon on one of his scouts, sending a dark blast of Dark Quintessence on him as he began to wither while screaming before he ceased, petrifying Krolia as he smirked._

" _Shocked, I'm sure. It's one of my new weapons I've created. And I always save the best for last. Now. Drop your weapon."_

 _Krolia only flipped her luxite dagger in her hand before tensing her hand at this. After which, she appeared to have realized the futility of her situation before she conceded and dropped her weapon, much to the pleasure of Komar before she opened her eyes and he prepared to drain her Quintessence before she kicked her luxite blade towards his siphon, causing it to chain its aim at himself, making him scream before he felt himself being drained and yelled out as he smashed his own weapon, leaving his body in a withered state and with a scar and wrinkles_

 _over his face before he was forced to teleport in a dark mist while Krolia went after the one scout who got away to the outside of the cave. As he did, he managed to get on a ship and retreat just as Krolia was only able to see it take off. Not long after, it blew up with Mark lying on the ground as he groaned._

* * *

 _The next morning, Krolia looked out the window as young Keith and Sandra were sleeping next to each other before she spoke to Mark, who now had a cast and a bandage around his right arm._

" _I must go."_

" _I thought you'd seen enough war."_

" _If they found the Blue Lion once, they'll find it again. I need to report back to the Blades and stop the Galra from the inside. I'm sorry. But this is the best way for me to keep you both safe."_

 _Krolia then looked to her children and planted a kiss on both of their cheeks, making Sandra stir a bit before she reached her hand out for her, making Krolia keep her attention on Sandra as she began to speak for the first time._

" _Mma... mmm... momma."_

 _Upon hearing her say that word at such a young age, Krolia began to shed tears of joy before she smiled and leaned down to her again._

" _Don't worry... I hope we can meet again someday. I really do. With that, Krolia gave her another kiss on the cheek, allowing her to sleep more easily before she looked to Mark and gave him two luxite daggers before she spoke to him._

" _These are for Keith and Sandra."_

" _You had an extra?"_

" _Just in case. They might need them someday."_

 _As Keith and Sandra watched Mark accept the blades, Sandra saw herself sleeping beside her brother and began to shed tears of joy as she leaned on her brother, who hugged her to reassure her that it was all true._

* * *

In the present time, Sandra spoke to Krolia as she tried to get her voice back.

"Mom... I... I understand why you left now. You left to complete the mission for our sake."

"That's not true. I left to protect the people I most love. You two."

This made Sandra shed tears again before she hugged her and she tried to speak.

"I am so sorry I doubted you! Ever since Dad told us you left, I hated you, cursed you! You didn't deserve that after what you did for us, and I'm so sorry!"

As Sandra sobbed on her mother, she gave her a hug to help calm her down as Sandra smiled underneath her mask before Adea smiled at the scene and turned to Xanthia.

"See, Xanthia? These people care so much about each other. So much that they would do anything to protect them. Anything... just like your dad. But what I can't understand... is why you'd hate us even after everything we've done together so far. Please... tell me. I'm tired of not knowing what to do with you... I hate it."

As she pleaded to her, Adea ran to her and hugged her as she clarified her desire for a response.

"Please... tell me..."

As the Blade grew disheartened by her silence, Xanthia hugged Adea in a warm embrace as she snuggled closer to the beast before Xarnas spoke to her.

"I'll admit it's bizarre that we haven't seen my daughter's memory yet. But... I don't think you'll need to worry anymore."

As she heard his words, Adea realized what Xanthia was doing and looked up at her with a hopeful smile.

"Does this mean... we're good?"

Xanthia then put her head down and opened her mouth before licking her in the face, making her feel grossed out as she tried to wipe off the saliva while Xarnas spoke as Atchiam, Adea, and Lapis smiled.

"Ew..."

"It would appear so."

Then, Lapis turned to Xarnas as the creature they resided on made its way to the dark star.

"So, does this thing really know the way around this quantum abyss?"

"Considering that neither one of us has been sucked up into nothingness thus far, I'd say we're safer with them than by ourselves."

* * *

Later, the same creature they boarded gushed air from out of its gills, giving the plants on top of it sustenance as they began to grow and flourish, giving Krolia a clue about what's going on.

"It's creating its own atmosphere."

With that, everyone took off their helmets before Krolia spoke to Keith and Sandra.

"Keith, Sandra, I'm sorry for leaving you two alone. Especially with Zarkon's daughter."

Hearing the change in tone from apologetic to one with identifiable venom, Keith spoke up to her about his friend.

"Are you talking about Ayame? She's not really a bad person, Mom. The whole time she's even with us, she's always been there for us. She's always been there for me."

This made Krolia look at him in wonder as she spoke.

"She... was there for you?"

"Yeah. She's my best friend."

Hearing this, Krolia smiled at him before she spoke.

"When we get back, perhaps you can introduce me."

"Maybe I will."

Even later afterward, the group pressed on while leaving the Violet Lion where it landed as they shouted for any food or water when a blue comet landed in front of them. When they inspected it, they noticed a small blue cosmic wolf trying to stand up before it was surrounded by giant tick-like aliens and Keith, Sandra, and Krolia stacked them to defend the wolf.

At a campfire following the rescue, Keith fed the wolf some food as Adea and Krolia watched with a smile. As Keith laid down next to the wolf while Adea slept on top of Xanthia, Krolia opened her eyes as a solar flare cane toward them. When it passed her, it showed her a flashback where Keith and Sandra stood alone in front of their father's grave before Krolia began to feel saddened by it.

As time passed, Keith was teaching his wolf how to fetch, only to receive confusion before Xanthia instead went after the stick and dragged Adea along with her as she rode on her back and exclaimed with joy with Lapis and Xarnas smiling at the two while Atchiam and Luzria quickly loved our of the way to avoid being trampled.

"Yahoo!"

Later, the group sat by the campfire with Xanthia looking at the wolf in curiosity and when she tried to pet it, the wolf growled at her before Adea reassured her with a pet on her hand from her own as she smiled. The next morning, Keith and Adea cane back before the wolf suddenly teleported and landed on top of Keith, sending him tumbling back before Adea laughed, only to be squeezed by Xanthia's bear hug as Krolia smiled.

Later on, they got close to their destination as Krolia spoke to the group.

"Everyone... I think we've made it."

With that, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis looked to the horizon.

"It's been two years."

"Who would've thought we'd count that many?"

"It doesn't matter now. We can finally finish our mission."

* * *

At the central command, Alphus and Allura were using their powers to infuse the ship before Allura suddenly fell from exhaustion before she and Lptor helped her up.

"Are you okay, Allura?"

"You and Alphus have done much today, Princess. You need your rest. We'll continue tomorrow."

"There's still a long way to go, but I'm proud of why eve accomplished together."

With that, Lotor took Allura by her hands before he spoke.

"None of this would be possible... without you."

* * *

Later, Allura walked in her bedroom before she noticed the mice on her counter before she spoke.

"Oh, hello, there. You guys look cleaner than usual. Did someone give you a bath?"

Two of the mice pretended to be Jenny and Lance before she spoke.

"Oh. Jenny and Lance washed you. That's strange. Are you friends now?"

One of the mice squeaked his answer before she spoke.

"How did this happen all of a sudden?"

As if to answer, the two mice used their tails to form a heart symbol before she spoke.

"Really? They said that?"

Realizing how Jenny must've felt prior to taking a break, Allura spoke again.

"Do you know where they are?"

In his room, Jenny and Lance were both in their pajamas, Jenny's being a white robe similar to Lance's save for the slippers before she spoke to him.

"Are you sure you're not gonna freeze?"

"C'mon, Jen. You know me. I never freeze."

Just then, Allura knocked and Jenny looked to the door before she spoke.

"Come in."

When Allura came in, she noticed Lance and Jenny standing together in their pajamas before she quickly became embarrassed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I came at a bad—"

"No, Allura. It's okay. Really. In fact, Lance and I wanted to talk with you."

"Oh. I see."

With that, Jenny nudged the frozen Lance before he spoke.

"Well, Allura. I know you've got feelings for Lotor, and... if you really want to be with him, I understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I mean, you guys look after each other and you both want the same thing. And you also care about what's important to each other. In a way, you're just like Jenny and me. I wouldn't want to ruin that. So, what I want to say is... I really hope he can make you happy the way Jenny does for me."

This made Allura smile at Lance before she spoke.

"Oh. Thank you."

Allura then looked to Jenny before she spoke with a smile.

"Now go take care of yourself, Princess."

As Allura nodded to her and walked out, Jenny looked to Lance who sighed before he spoke.

"Well, there she goes."

"But at least she'll be happy, right?"

"Yeah. As long as she's happy, we're happy."

This earned Jenny's giggle as she laid her head on Lance's chest before she sighed in peace.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Base: Xanthium, Komar began walking toward Vantiv before she noticed him and smirked.

"Well, well. Looks like the doctor can walk by himself aga—"

Before she could finish, Komar instantly gripped her by the throat, ceasing her voice to speak as he began crushing her neck while speaking with venom as she looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"Silence. I told you that you would regret turning your back on me. As someone who's endured much suffering, I should kill you right now. But... I think I have a better idea on what to do with you. You will help me regenerate my cells and restore my body to its former glory. Is... that... clear?"


	49. Monsters & Mana

**Chapter 48** : Monsters & Mana

In the forest surrounded by a mist, Hunk, who was dressed up on a robe with a green cape, Pidge, who was dressed up in Viking armor and had long hair on the back, and Jenny, who was wearing an elegant robe of white with yellow lines and with small armor on her pointy ears, were running away from their threat before they each stopped to take a breath. However, it wasn't for very long before the threat found them as he was practically leaping in great heights to reach them.

"Get behind me! Seal of protection!"

As Hunk got out his wooden staff, he summoned a green Celtic barrier before the threat, now identified to be an ogre, smashed his axe-hand against it, ultimately failing to slay his prey as he growled before Pidge turned to Hunk.

"Hit it with your lightning bolt!"

With that, Hunk got his staff out and pointed it at the ogre as he shouted.

"Lightning bolt!"

As he spoke this, a small blue light came out from the staff, slowly making its way toward him before only electrocuting his hair, giving him a spiky look with a touch of frizzles before Hunk and Pidge laughed nervously as Jenny spoke up.

"Let me try something. Holy Fire!"

With that, Jenny fired a blue fireball at the ogre. As a result, it burned at the creature's bottom, making him panic before Jenny felt proud of herself.

"Yeah! It worked!"

However, the ogre quickly resolved this by hopping to the river behind him and cooling off the fire as he sighed before angrily turning to them as Jenny began to get peeved.

"Oh, come on!"

With that, the three of them ran away again as Pidge criticized the two of them with Jenny reacting to her comment first.

"You call that a lightning bolt?! And how did you not know there was a river behind him?! If you two are the remaining hope for his village, they're doomed!"

"Hey! You try holding back a giant ogre!"

"I'm a healer, not a fighter!"

As they ran, Hunk quickly began to get tired as he gasped and painted before he thought of a solution for that.

"Soaring staff!"

As Hunk went on his staff and locked up Pidge, Jenny saw her cue to join in her own way.

"Divine Wings!"

With that, Jenny grew light blue angelic wings on her back and flew with Hunk and Pidge before the creature began to play a soft melody from his ocarina, making Hunk adversely affected as he played. Jenny and Pidge recognized the harmony.

"Oh, no. The song of eternal slumber."

"Cast protection from sleep on yourself, guys."

With that, Jenny quickly began to grow drowsy as she tried to stay awake long enough to use it.

"Okay. Protect... tion..."

Before she could close her eyelids, a blue light shone from beneath her and reinvigorated her as she shook her head and spoke to Hunk.

"Okay. Now it's your turn."

"Sing of eternal slumber, guys? That's the—"

Hunk then began to yawn in tiredness before he spoke again to Pidge.

"How come you don't need it?"

"I'm a dwarf. Come on!"

"So sleepy."

Immediately, Hunk fell asleep, making Jenny and Pidge panic as he instantly began turning the other way with the latter shouting at Hunk first before the former.

"Wake up!"

"You're going the wrong way!"

As they headed toward the ogre, it prepared to strike before Pidge jumped up while Jenny swerved under him and got Hunk to safety as she grabbed him and set him down gently, although it wasn't to say it was easy.

"Geez. You really need a diet."

With that, the ogre then put its attention to Pidge as she lunged at it before slicing off the ocarina to pieces, causing Hunk to wake up as he looked up before the ogre managed to use his axe to trap Pidge by her hair as he used his other arm to strike her. Before he could, however, the ogre was found to be in the process of being wrapped up by Hunk, who used his wooden staff to engage in it as Jenny flew toward Pidge and grabbed her before flying for a great distance away as Hunk called out to them.

"Now!"

"Got it!"

With that, Jenny flew toward the ogre before tossing Pidge at it as she used her axe to bash his fist that was wound up close to his face right into it, causing the ogre to poof in a mist of green dust before finding an emerald crystal left in its place as Hunk spoke while Jenny landed and her wings dissipated.

"Oh, look, it's a crystal."

This made Pidge and Jenny altogether suspicious as they spoke.

"Weird. I've never seen an ogre drop a crystal like this."

"Me neither. I think we should take it to the innkeeper and find out where this ogre got it."

This made Hunk frown at this as he spoke to them with Jenny replying back to him.

"Oh, man. Come on. That's, like, way on the other side of the Wiebian Swamps. You know how scary and gross those are? Very, very scary and gross."

"Agreed. But that's the only way to the innkeeper where we are now, you big baby. Do you want to save your village or not?"

"I mean, they're not, like, going anywhere."

"Maybe. But do you really want them staring at you all night?"

Petrified by the thought Jenny placed on his mind, Hunk changed his mind.

"Alright, Fine! Fine, but I'm not fighting ghosts this time. I'm just running."

"Well, we don't have the time to fight them anyhow. They're kinda bugging me, too."

Later, Hunk's feet were covered in muck as he groaned while Jenny wiped her feet clean as he spoke.

"Yuck! Yuck. Ohh, so scary and gross. What did I tell you?"

As Hunk shook his legs to get the muck off, Jenny spoke while getting the last of it off of her own.

"Yeah, I believed you. What I can't believe is how sticky this Wiebian Swamp goo is."

"I know. It's crazy."

Fortunately, they do t have to endure much of that anymore as they saw the inn in sight before Hunk spoke to the girls.

"Hey, you hungry?"

"Yep."

"We don't have any money, guys. We're just gonna meet the innkeeper and leave. Besides, since when did a magical fairy princess like you care about food?"

"Hey! First off, it's 'magical fairy _warrior_ princess' to you. And second, we all gotta eat sometime. Not that we can..."

"Oh, man. I would not have run so hard if I didn't think there might be food."

Pidge only gave the two an annoyed look as she spoke.

"Fine."

With that, they entered the inn to find a series of unsettling faces staring back at them, including a small fairy drawing out her sword in spite of being hung there herself, making Hunk a boy tense as Jenny just put her white hood on.

"This is not the atmosphere I remember from last time."

With that, the trio went to the vases with Pidge vandalizing them, getting out a broom and a dagger as Hunk spoke.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Looking for coins."

Then, Jenny spoke up quickly.

"Oh! Dibs on the dagger!"

As Jenny went around Pidge to pick it up, she moved just as swiftly away for Pidge to hack at the third vase before a gold coin showing Alfor's face on it appeared. With that, Pidge took it and slammed it upon the counter as she spoke.

"Two greasy meat piles for my friends, please."

"One health plate, coming up."

With that, the innkeeper stood up very tall as Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny widened their eyes in surprise before the innkeeper turned around and was revealed to have pink lipstick on, as well as orange hair along with a mustache, making Jenny smile as she tried not to laugh out loud before the innkeeper spoke to her.

"Oh, it's you three again. Did you find any clues?"

"Yeah. And we also found a crystal, just like you thought we might."

As Jenny got out the crystal, the innkeeper took great interest in them as she widened her eyes.

"Just as I feared. Those ogres are mercenaries. They'll fight for anyone that has crystals. The only person who uses this type is the evil wizard Dakin."

Hearing that name made Jenny tense as she spoke.

"Dakin? That's not good news in the slightest."

"It isn't. Though, I admit, I should have suspected him. There aren't many wizards powerful enough to turn a whole village to stone."

At this, Pidge spoke up to the innkeeper, who explained the difficulties as it then showed a doorway that led to a cyclops warrior, a trap with spikes at the bottom, a ghostly fox lady with blue wisps around her, and a giant owl with demonic wings as well as it then showed Pidge, Hunk, and Jenny in a state of panic with their eyes in a spiral state as their mouths were wide open.

"So how do we save them?"

"You'll have to defeat Dakin. He is inside Carthian's Lair, a tomb of horrors filled with monsters, traps, and terrors that most heroes would be driven insane at the mere thought of entering."

That was something Hunk didn't sign up for.

"Uh, maybe those villagers like being turned into stone?"

Then, Jenny reminded him of the creepiness of it.

"Yeah. And I'm sure they like staring at you all day... all night..."

"Okay, alright. So where do we find this tomb of horrors?"

"Just inside the Feldakor Mountains."

Just then, Shiro and Belle's voices spoke up from afar.

"The Feldakor Mountains, you say?"

"You there think you've got what it takes to smite evil?"

As the trio noticed the mysterious duo in white and yellow armor for Shiro as well as a metal claw from Belle, Jenny blinked her eyes in wonder as she spoke.

"Who are you guys?"

"Me? My name is Takashi Shirogane. I'm a Paladin. And this is Titania, a warrioress who lost her way before she found my master."

"That's right. And you three?"

To answer Titania's question, Hunk sat down before he spoke, followed by Pidge and Jenny.

"Me? I'm Block, the Sorcerer."

"Name's Meklavar. Best axe-fighter in three lands."

"And I'm Caela. I'm a magical fairy warrior princess from the Realm of Caelum sent to the Realm of Aurita to dispel the evil that plagued Block's town and many others. From what we've known, Dakin seems to be the source of that evil. What's _your_ story?"

Shiro then spoke up as he removed his hood, revealing a silver headband that had a silver spike pointing upward. As he spoke, the flashback showed him as a young boy sitting by himself eating an apple as he watched the waterfall before he stood before a tall man with thunder behind him. With that, it showed him training alongside him before they were met with a younger Titania who bows in respect to the master and trained with Shiro later on before the sacred hall was burned in a fire with Titania swiftly losing her arm from a small demon before vanishing in a blue haze as the students knelt down to their master with Titania cradling her lost arm while he cradled his master he spoke.

* * *

"We're on our own adventure. From a young age, I was chosen to be a Paladin because of my bright internal light. My master, D'Jahno, taught me the seven pillars of knighthood. He forged not only my mind, but also my body. Along the way, Titania came here seeking to stray from her evil path and learn from him and me, so we helped her up to be the best she could be as well. We became a shield for food and a weapon against evil. Before we could complete our training, a leviathan demon attacked our monastery. It destroyed all we had, including Titania's arm... and our master. D'Jahno's last words to us were..."

" _You no longer need my guidance to complete your training.'_

 _D'Jahno tilted his head to the left as Shiro and Titania sobbed before looking to see he was still alive as he turned his head to the two pupils and spoke one final time._

" _Defeating the leviathan will teach you all there is to know."_

 _With that, he moaned before drawing his breath, making Titania turn her head away in sadness as Shiro cried out to the heavens._

" _No!"_

* * *

At the inn, Caela looked at Shiro as he shed a tear before she spoke reverently.

"Now I remember. We heard your cries to us in my realm. I'm really sorry. And I know it might be wrong for us to ask this of you, but... well, we need your help."

Titania didn't see it to be necessary.

"What do you mean by 'us?'"

Apparently, as Caela realized, the case wasn't of "us", but of "her" as Block and Meklavar walked away, making Shiro shake up in nervousness.

"Hey, where are you guys going?!"

"Totally sounds like you're too busy to help us with this wizard, though."

"Good luck with the leviathan."

As Block and Meklavar walked out, Titania spoke to the frazzled Shiro.

"Well, are you in or out?"

* * *

Outside, Block and Meklavar we're walking away as the former spoke.

"Man, that guy was so boring."

Suddenly, they heard Shiro's voice speaking to them.

"Wait."

When they turned around, they saw Shiro running to them before stopping to take a breath as Caela and Titania caught up before he spoke again.

"Wait. As Paladins, we swore an oath to vanquish evil. We can not deny the righteousness of your quest. We will help you defeat the wizard, and then return to our hunt for the demon that destroyed our master."

Suddenly, their plans were dashed by a giant thud as Block spoke.

"Ooh. What's that?"

Suddenly, they saw that a giant yellow mouse was assaulting the inn as it sniffed, making Caela speak up.

"Oh, no! We need to go!"

With that, the group took off before Shiro was the only one caught by the giant mouse and eaten alive as a health bar appeared and went all the way down before Meklavar spoke as it belched.

"No! Shiro's dead!"

* * *

At the castle's lounge, one of the mice was chewing on a game piece resembling Shiro before Coran moved it away.

"Shoo, shoo!"

At the lounge, they were playing a game similar to their quest as the innkeeper's building was shown as a hologram with Jenny sitting next to Pidge while Belle sat next to Shiro and Coran before the former of her company stated his confusion to the latter.

"Did I really die in the game?"

"Yes."

"But that doesn't make any sense. The mice aren't playing the game."

"Don't worry. You can just make a new character."

Shiro, however, already knew what he wanted as he spoke up while placing the game piece on the board.

"I'm going to be a Paladin again."

"Oh, come on now. Do you really want to play a Paladin? I mean, you could be something completely different: a maven, a mage, a cleric, a klazgool, a bard."

"I don't know what's more fulfilling than being a Paladin."

This made Coran lose his temper as he shouted.

"BUT YOU'RE ALREADY A PALADIN IN REAL LIFE!"

Moments after Coran's shout, Lance and Allura arrived with Jenny looking up from where she sat hopefully.

"Is everything alright? We heard yelling."

"Is Ayame here?!"

Lance and Allura looked at her confused before the former answered.

"No, Jen. It's just me and Allura."

"Oh, man... sorry, you guys. I just _really_ wanted to play this with Ayame. I even came up with her own character and everything."

As she explained the character's details, Ayame appeared in a silver robe with white garments inside along with a weapon that consisted of a canesword in her belt with longer hair under her hood as it peeped out of the corner of it.

"She would've been called Noctem and have this awesome robe in white and silver. Oh! And her weapon would be a canesword with a red blade and silver hilt!"

As Jenny squealed at this, Lance grew a bit frightened.

"Okay, exactly how long have you been planning that?"

"Anyway, Ayame said she'd come here when she's done helping Lotor manage the Galra Empire. But it's starting to feel like an eternity! It might as well be a hollow promise..."

As Jenny moaned at this, Lance spoke to the others.

"Right... what's going on in here?"

Coran took the liberty to answer as she sulked.

"We're playing Monsters and Mana."

"Monsters and huh?"

As Coran explained, Pidge chimed in.

"It's a game."

"It's fun."

As Lance leaned closer to the book, he grew very suspicious.

"I don't know. How can a game that needs a book be fun?"

"Well, you ought to read it and find out."

"Nah."

Jenny only looked at Lance as she spoke while making puppy eyes at him.

"C'mon, Lance. Please, play it with me."

As she pleaded to him, Lance found it hard to turn down a request from Jenny before he replied.

"Oh, okay."

As Jenny hugged him, Lance felt squeezed by the pressure as he tried to understand her enthusiasm.

"Geez! How fun _is_ that game?"

While Lance tried to extricate himself from her grip, Coran spoke in reply to Lance's question.

"I've been playing Monsters and Mana since I was a boy. My band mates and I, the Pirate Polychoral, used to play it all the time. I was always the Lore Master."

Just as Lance successfully freed himself, Jenny blushed upon realizing how clingy she was as Allura spoke.

"So, how do you play?"

"Okay, so each person creates a fantastical character. The character is represented by a figurine on this holo-map to help them track their action. But the real fun happens in the mind. Each player gets a turn, and every turn they say what they want to do. The Lore Master, me, knows the difficulty of the task. The person must roll a 20-sided die to see if they can accomplish their action."

This made Lance widen his eyes before he spoke with Belle correcting his assumption.

"A 20-sided dice?! How big _is_ that thing?!"

"Calm down, Lance. It's a normal-sized dice. It just has 20 sides."

"No, no, no, no, no. It's got 20 sides? It's gotta be the size of a Yalexian pearl."

As Coran presented the dice, Lance was proven wrong as he realized this, making Jenny giggle.

"Oh."

"So, now do you want to play?"

"Don't you guys have something better to do right now? Like, I don't know, Universe-defending stuff?"

To answer him, Pidge spoke up first, followed by Shiro, Belle, Allura, and Jenny.

"Hunk and I ran into a snag upgrading the Castle's shields. We're running a diagnostic, but all we can do is wait."

"I'm trying to take a mental break. We've been going really hard, lately."

"Me, too. As much fun as it is to train, I don't want to exhaust myself."

"I'll play. Lotor's busy handling his imperial responsibilities, and Alphus and I are at an impasse with the comet ship. Plus, it sounds fun."

"And I've been trying to resist certain urges I've been getting lately. I figured Ayame would help, but of course, she's too busy."

Hearing about her urges, Lance grew interested and vied to join in.

"Well, what exactly are those urges?"

"Well, stuff no one should tell little children."

This made Lance widen his eyes before he spoke.

"Okay! Let's play the game quick before anything gets in the others' heads!"

With that, Coran handed him and Allura a card each.

"Here you go. Create your characters with the interface loaded onto these. It will keep track of your stats. Now it's time to begin the heroes' journey."

* * *

At Aurita, in the forest, the group of five were walking through as they remained unaware of an archer readying her arrow before they heard the movement of a creature behind them before Meklavar stopped their movements with her hand. As they looked around, Caela looked above her to see the archer fire her arrow before she shoved them away.

"Take cover!"

With that, the arrow struck a plant creature with an orange mustache behind them before it poofed. After that, the archer jumped off of the branch before landing in the ground as she bruised her ankle before she spoke.

"Ow. I'm the mystical archer, Valayun, searching for the rune stone of Lapham. What quest are you on?"

Caela spoke up to her as she shook her hand.

"Block's town was cursed by the evil wizard Dakin. We were able to track him through the emerald crystals."

Suddenly, a small rock landed on the ground before it poofed to reveal a man with wolf ears in his hair and a tail with a red cape on his back and standard armor as Block spoke in surprise before Caela turned to him.

"Hey, hey-hey, hey!"

"Whoa. Who are you?"

"The name's Pike. I was going to rob you clodhoppers of your junk, but it sounds like the bigger score is helping you jack this wizard with the crystals."

This made Caela give a smirk before she spoke.

"So, you chose a thief, huh?"

"I'm not a thief!"

"Too bad, 'cause you would've stolen my heart."

This made Pike blush before he spoke in an embarrassed voice before he got in a groove, poofing randomly beside his compatriots.

"That's not the point! I'm a ninja assassin, the silent killer. My victims never know I'm coming 'cause I don't say a word. They look around and don't see anything, so they drop their guard, but what they don't realize is that I'm lurking in the shadows silently watching!"

As Pike laughed, Caela only held her hand out as she spoke and it glowed blue.

"Zipper."

With that, Pike's mouth instantly clamped shut, making him drop a bag of coins before he tried desperately to open his mouth again as Meklavar stifled her laughter before Caela undid her spell, making Lance breathe again dramatically as she spoke, making him realize his flaw.

"You were saying, Mr. 'Ninja Assassin'?"

"Oh. Sorry. Anyway, I do steal things. In fact, that's a lot of what my character does."

With that, Pike poofed away before poofing next to Caela.

"So, you're a magical fairy warrior princess, huh?"

This made Caela turn to Meklavar before she spoke to her and then turned back to him.

"See? He gets it. Anyway, I'm Caela. I came from the Realm of Caelum to retrieve its Crown. Without it, my realm wouldn't be able to sustain itself and it'll be shrouded in darkness."

Pike only grew interested in the rich part of her explanation.

"Crown of Caelum. Mmm..."

Valayun then spoke to her members, making Caela interested.

"Well, it's very fortunate that I arrived here. I can aid you on your quest"

"How?"

"I'll summon a mount."

With that, Allura shot her arrow to the sky, creating a pink portal before a winged horse creature arrived and flew toward them as the group gasped and widened their eyes in surprise. Not long after, the group flew to the Feldakor Mountains with Meklavar, Block, Valayun, Shiro, and Titania on the creature while Caela flew with Pike on her back as they took to the skies and made it to their destination. At the entrance, they could only see vast darkness before Block spoke up.

"Did anyone remember to bring torches?"

* * *

At the Castle lounge, Shiro grew confused.

"I really think my character would've remembered to bring a torch."

Coran, realizing he's still new to the game, what with his lack of imagination in picking someone else, corrected him.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you check your little inventory there? Oh, no torches, eh? Then I guess you forgot to bring them."

This made the group groan before Allura and Jenny spoke up.

"Oh, I have something!"

"Me, too!"

* * *

Inside Carthian's Lair, Valayun and Caela lit up the otherwise dark halls with the former using an arrow while the latter used her glowing blue hand. When they got there, they noticed a wall of mortar in the shape of a door as Block spoke.

"It's just a wall. But this is where we're supposed to go, right?"

With that, Meklavar analyzed the door while Pike walked to it.

"Maybe there's a secret here."

"Maybe you just have to knock."

As Pike did so, the bright light came before it revealed a door as Caela spoke to him.

"Wow, Pike! You found the door!"

"What can I say? I'm good at puzzles and junk."

As he tried to open the door, Meklavar spoke up.

"Wait. There could be traps. You have to check for them."

"Why do I have to check for 'em?"

"Because you're the thief. You're the only one in the group with that skill."

"How do I even check for traps?"

* * *

At the Castle, Coran gave Lance the instructions.

"You roll the 20-sided die, adding your check for traps skill to the roll. If it's high enough, you'll remove the trap."

"And what is it's too low?"

This made Coran giggle before he answered.

"You activate the trap."

With that, Lance blinked nervously before tossing the die. Unfortunately, the number it landed on was too low for Pike to deactivate it.

* * *

"Oh, man!"

With that, the handles pressed forward before clamping itself shut on his hands, causing the door to tip over before the ground broke apart and the group fell through a hole that led to pointed spikes just below them before Block used a spell and Caela shouted her own.

"Levitation!"

"Divine Wings!"

At that moment, six chickens were being used to lift them while Caela flew with her wings before Shiro spoke.

"Great work there, guys. Let's keep going."

* * *

As they pressed onward, they overcame a fair amount of dangers, such as a lizard-like creature, a quicksand pit where Caela and Pike ended up falling prey to with Block using his staff to help pull them out, and a swarm of angry bats. After much of their trials, they finally reached the center of Carthian's Lair as Pike spoke exhaustedly.

"Okay, what's next?"

Fortunately, their struggle was over as they found themselves surrounded by gold and jewels with assorted artifacts.

"Oh, Mama Mia. Look at all this treasure!"

As the group of seven gazed at them in awe, they went towards it and looked at them as Meklavar and Pike spoke.

"It's our reward for getting past all these traps."

"This is more like it. We fall for traps in real life and we never get any treasure."

With that, they took interest in the relics they found as well, starting in the order of Valayun, Meklavar, Pike, Titania, and Block as they received the following artifacts.

"Wow! A quick-draw quiver with a magical creature summoning arrow!"

"Oh, sweet! Gloves of Transmutation! These bad boys can transmogrify the elemental matter of any object!"

"Awesome! And I got an invisibility cloak!"

"Nice! And I just got an energy magnifier! Anything I fire out of this guy will send X10 of its power at anyone in its way."

"A bowl that is never empty of food. Out days of vandalizing innkeeper's vases are over!"

As for Shiro and Caela, the latter noticed a small golden crown with a blue jewel before she realized what it was.

"Is that... what I think it is? It is! It's the Crown of Caelum!"

As Caela put it on and grew amazed at it, Shiro picked up a pointed sword which ignited in a fiery blaze as he spoke.

"Wow, a blazing sword. Hey, guys, check it—"

Before he could finish, he was suddenly struck by a red and black lightning bolt, much to the group's horror before Meklavar saw a silver headband left behind.

"Ooh. He dropped a rare item."

Suddenly, they heard malicious laughter far away before they saw the innkeeper standing amidst them.

"Fools!"

As the innkeeper stood with her hand in an black-red electric spark, Caela can take a guess who she really was.

"What? The innkeeper?! _You're_ Dakin?!"

"That's right, you dumb-dumbs! I only run the inn to trick foolish adventurers into gathering valuable crystals for me. Thank you for bringing them directly to my lair."

As Caela glared at Dakin, Pike grew confused.

"Who is this guy?"

"She told us she was the innkeeper. But it was all a trick! Dakin was using us the whole time!"

With that, Dakin laughed as he turned into his wizard form while he spoke.

"This is where your adventure ends."

With that, Shiro appeared again before he spoke and raised his sword.

"I am Shiro's twin brother, Gyro, here to complete Shiro and Titania's quest."

Meklavar and Titania grew annoyed with his choice.

"A Paladin again?"

"You could've at least come up with something more original. Like, I don't know, Ryou?"

Dakin didn't care about who they were called, much less about their concerns.

"Only fools would enter my tomb of horrors. Though, I can't say I'm not impressed, especially since one of you hails from the Realm of Caelum. But you forget that I am the most powerful wizard in all of Aurita."

Caela only stared daggers at him before she spoke.

"Like we care about that! You won't get away with cursing Block's village!"

"Your quest is in vain. I've already siphoned off their life force. You would have to permanently defeat me in order to restore it."

"Sounds easy enough."

"Ah, but it isn't! For instead, I will become the most powerful being in all of the planes!"

With that, Dakin fired a ball of fire at Caela only for Gyro to block it with his shield, relieving her before he spoke again, infuriating Titania.

"I'm going to evaporate you, just like I did with your twin brother!"

In retaliation, Titania fired a blue orb from her magnifier placed within her right palm at Dakin, ceasing his fiery blast as she shouted.

"Don't you dare talk about Shiro!"

Valayun then turned to the others as she spoke.

"Let's get him while Titania keeps him busy!"

As Titania drew his attention with her blasts, Valayun fired her arrows at Dakin, causing him damage before he was forced to engage his black lightning storm, electrocuting Meklavar before Valayun fired an arrow to heal her.

"Healing arrow!"

As Meklavar recovered health, Gyro flailed his sword in preparation as he spoke.

"I will avenge my twin!"

As Gyro moved closer to Dakin and Titania, the latter fired a blue blast from her magnifier again, forcing Dakin to use one hand to block it while using the other to shoot fire at Gyro before Block shot out a water.

"Water spout!"

As Block got his mark, Dakin retaliated with a fire blast at him before Pike reappeared by taking off the invisibility cloak and teleporting to another area as Block targeted Meklavar.

"Embiggen!"

With that, Meklavar grew to the size of an ogre before smiting her axe on Dakin, defeating him before she spoke.

"We did it!"

With that, Block, Caela, and Valayun shouted in victory.

"Hunk-a-lunk!"

"Great!"

"Hooray!"

"We defeated the bad guy!"

Pike grew more excited about the profit.

"Yeah, I hope those stone villagers have a little cold hard cash for us."

Caela only gave him a punch in the arm, making him embarrassed before Shiro spoke up on the merits of their outing.

"Wow. This game is so amazing. It requires problem solving, teamwork, creativity, all the skills you want to imbue when doing team-building exercises."

Pike didn't want to focus on that as he piped up.

"Stop trying to ruin our fun with learning!"

However, they were visited upon by sinister laughter as the dust cleared to reveal a gigantic dragon with a mustache as Caela spoke.

"Whoa, he's big."

"Fools! You did exactly as I planned. Only by being slain by seven pure of heart on this evil altar could I become the all-powerful Coranic Dragon!"

Faced with such a powerful adversary, Meklavar turned to the others and reminded Caela of their current worth.

"We aren't powerful enough to defeat a dragon, much less a Coranic one."

"Maybe by ourselves. But we'll have to defeat him together. Somehow..."

With that, the dragon breathed fire on Block, knocking him back while burning his leg as Caela turned to Valayun.

"Block's down, Valayun!"

"I'm on it!"

With that, Valayun shot three arrows into three pillars, creating stepping stones before firing an arrow at Block's injuries.

"Fire healing arrow!"

As Valayun healed Block, she herself was thwacked by Dakin before Caela moved in in an attempt to distract him.

"Hey! Over here!"

With that, Caela flew around, infuriating Dakin before he swatted her to the ground and aimed to squash her with his tail, only for Pike to interfere and teleport away just as Block and Valayun gave the bad news.

"I'm low on mana. I can't cast any of my big spells."

"I only have one summoning arrow left."

Gyro then spoke up as he was joined by Titania.

"Get back. We'll draw its attacks."

As Titania began firing blasts at Dakin, Gyro only used his sword to slash at his legs.

"Begone!"

However, Dakin grew unamused before kicking the two away with Gyro shouting out as Caela spoke.

"Darg!"

"We need a plan to take him out!"

Then, Block had an idea as he spoke.

"Secret!"

* * *

With that, their sclerae went blank while in the Castle, everyone was in a group huddle before Coran tried to listen in, only to be cut out of the conversation by Hunk.

"Hey, I cast 'secret.' You can't listen to us. Got it?"

Everyone gave him a smirk before they went back to Aurita and resumed their battle.

* * *

"Secret received!"

"Let's do this."

With that, Pike infuriated Dakin with his taunts.

"Nanny-nanny boo-boo! Nanny-nanny boo-boo! Come on, come and get me!"

As he fired, Dakin missed as Pike used his cloak to reappear and disappear simultaneously. While this happened, Block sent food everywhere before Meklavar used the gloves to turn the food into oil, Valayun summoned a magical winged creature again before Titania fired her blast and Gyro, who rode on the mount Valayun summoned, used his sword to burn at the oil, creating a blue barrier with red fire that trapped Dakin before Caela's crown jewel glowed blue, casting a blue field directly underneath him as she spoke.

"Evil sorcerer of Aurita, Begone!"

With that, Caela used the field to create a blue beacon of light that burned and defeated Dakin as he screamed, the bright light from her spell barrier disintegrating him.

* * *

At the Castle, the Paladins reveled in their victory as Allura, Hunk, and Pidge spoke.

"So much fun!"

"Like, too much fun. Great idea to transmute that food into oil."

"Yeah. If only we could transmute the particle barrier's polarity."

"Yeah. To do that, you'd need some kind of quantum shift network to simulate a collapse is the wave pocket into a darkening perplexity."

"Yeah, and that would be impossible without..."

And just like that, Pidge and Hunk found a solution to their problem.

"Changing the Planck Constant!"

With that, Pidge and Hunk took of from the lounge as Lance and Jenny were left confused.

"Somehow, I understand the fantasy words better than the science ones."

"Not gonna lie. I'm starting to have trouble understanding it, myself."

While Jenny and Lance were left to figure it out for themselves, Shiro and Belle spoke with Coran.

"I can't get over how great that game was."

"Yeah. It really helped me realize that teamwork can be just as efficient in any battle."

"And... my head feels so much better. Thank you, Coran."

"The game isn't over yet. Wait until you find out who Dakin was working for. Maybe you two'll finally be able to avenge your master."

Belle smiled a bit as she spoke to Coran.

"How can you have an adventure ready to avenge our master already? We made all that stuff up."

"I also made it all up, Belle. That's the real magic of Monsters and Mana."

Then, Belle stretched her arms as she yawned before she spoke.

"Well, gotta check on Sapphire and Cilia. See you guys later."

Allura then spoke up to Jenny and Lance in excitement.

"That was incredible! It's crazy how long we've been playing."

"Yeah, I know, right? It seemed like no time at all. But then again, time flies when you're having fun."

Lance then spoke up to Jenny as they looked at each other.

"Yeah, we have a pretty good time together, don't we?"

"Yeah... we sure do."

Suddenly, Allura received a video transmission from Lotor as he spoke up.

"Allura, I have grand news. The ship is ready to begin testing."

This made Allura joyful as she spoke.

"Fabulous. Let's try it. Oh, but what about Alphus?"

"She's earned her rest for the time being. And... I'm sorry to have to ask you to do this..."

"It's fine, Lotor. Really. I'm on my way."

With that, Allura began walking away to the door. And just as she was about to exit, the door opened for Allura to see Ayame in her casual clothes and in her human form as she spoke.

"Did I miss anything?"

Hearing her voice made Jenny look at her in surprise as she spoke.

"Ayame! You came!"

"Of course."

As Ayame sat down, Jenny asked about her experience.

"So, how was managing the Galra Empire?"

"Honestly, it was kinda exhausting. There were too many requests to keep track of. I might've been able to do them if they didn't keep piling up. I guess... being an eventual Empress of the Galra Empire's... well, it's just not me."

"I am so glad you said that, because I really wanted to have fun with you tonight. Look! I made you a figurine!"

As Jenny handed Ayame her Noctem figurine, she grew a small smile as she spoke.

"Wow... how long have you worked on this?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't wanna know."

As she laughed to herself, Lance smiled sadly, feeling certain that Jenny wouldn't want to play with him this time, only for the former of the girls to speak to him.

"Hey, Lance. Do you want to play another round?"

This gave Lance a change in tone to his smile as he spoke.

"Yeah, okay."

As Jenny looked at Lance with a giggle, Shiro placed his figure on the holo map that changed to the inn as he spoke.

"I wanna be a Paladin again."

Those words caused Jenny, Coran, and Lance great annoyance as the first of the three groaned dramatically while Lance's eyes widened before he placed his head on the table and Coran froze up, confusing Ayame and Shiro as the latter spoke up first before his sister.

"What?"

"Should we be worried about this?"

Jenny looked to Ayame with a frustrated look as she answered.

"Yeah-huh! Where's the variety?!"

As Jenny then slammed her head on the table before moaning, Ayame only shrugged her shoulders before she placed her figurine on the holo map to join with those of Pike, Block, Shiro, Caela, Meklavar, Titania, and Valayun.

* * *

In her quarters, Alphus was sleeping on a bed as she was tossing and turning. While she did this, she had flashes of seeing a black silhouette of an unknown robot similar to Voltron yet different trapped in a white space and as well as its pilot. What terrified her the most was what she saw. The pilot of the unknown mech... was herself. What's more, she had blank yellow eyes as she roared in agony and anger, forcing Alphus to wake up as she took frantic breaths that slowed down as she looked at her hand, only to see a flash of it covered in moss before she grew frightened again with a yelp before she tried to figure out the cause of the events.

"What's happening to me?"


	50. Scars of Sacrilege

**Chapter 49** : Scars of Sacrilege

In Outer Space, the Castle was headed towards the ruined Daibazaal while in the hangar, Allura, Lotor, and Alphus stood in front of their newly finished Comet ship as he spoke to them before Alphus turned to Allura.

"I've waited an eternity for this."

"We're so close... how can we be so sure it's not going to go wrong?"

"We've done everything we can to prepare us for this moment, Alphus. We're ready."

As Allura and Lotor turned to Alphus, she looked at the latter and sighed before looking to the ship as she and Lotor spoke.

"Alright. For the universe."

"It means so much for me to share this with you both."

Inside the ship, Lotor booted it up as Alphus sat in-between him and Allura as they assisted in the ship's maintenance while Lance, Jenny, Ayame, Pidge, Coran, Babak, Hunk, Shiro, Belle, Cilia, and Sapphire watched from the Castle's main hub.

"Beginning system check. Front and rear stabilizers."

"Front and rear stabilizers are go."

"Quintessence collection array."

"Quintessence collection array is go."

"Infracells."

"Infracells up."

"Dynotherms."

"Dynotherms connected."

"Switching on mega-thrusters."

"Mega-thrusters are go."

As the ship powered up, ready for transport, Hunk couldn't help but feel the situation to be mysterious.

"I can't be the only one who sees that this is nuts, right? I mean, just getting in there is a long shot. Then they have to make it out again?"

With that, Babak spoke up in agreement to him before Pidge spoke up.

"I must concur with Hunk. This whole plan, by itself, is a foolhardy and unnecessary risk."

"I don't know. I mean, we've traveled through the Quintessence field to another reality. This isn't just theoretical physics. Mathematically, we know it's possible."

Hearing this, Coran spoke in favor of Pidge as he got in Babak's face.

"It is hard to argue with math, Babak. Believe me, I tried."

As Babak growled, Ayame spoke of the bad side of it.

"But even if they do reach the Quintessence field, then what? The last time anyone got in there, Zarkon became corrupted and this whole mess happened."

Seeing his point was made, Babak got in Coran's face as he mocked him.

"Ah-ha! Looks like Math lost that argument."

Despite the back-and-forth banter, Shiro spoke of another side of that event.

"Zarkon fell prey to his own evil instincts. The Quintessence field didn't create them, it revealed them."

As Shiro said this, Lance noticed Jenny's concerned look as he spoke towards her, trying to get to the root of the problem.

"You okay, Jenny?"

"I don't know... lately, Alphus has been acting all worried. Like she saw something that made her deathly scared, but she wouldn't even tell me. Do you know what it's about?"

Unfortunately, Lance only knew as much as she did as he shook his head before he spoke.

"No. But, maybe she's having nightmares. People don't usually like to talk about them. I know I don't."

"Maybe... except where did those nightmares come from?"

In the hangar bay, the doors opened before the Comet ship's lever was pushed by Lotor, propelling it towards Daibazaal while Coran spoke up.

"So, this is goodbye... for now."

Not willing to let anything happen to Alphus, given how worried she's acting lately, Jenny spoke up to Alphus to put her own worries at ease.

"Alphus."

"Yes, Jenny?"

"You better get back safe, okay?"

Seeing the worry on Jenny's face, Alphus gave a small smile before she replied back to her.

"Don't worry. I will."

As the ship got closer to Daibazaal, they noticed a portal gate that should take them to the Quintessence field as Coran spoke up.

"T-minus ten ticks to gate entry. Nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."

As they got closer and closer, the comet ship began to glow blue, making Sapphire widen her eyes at its beauty as she spoke.

"Wow..."

Inside the ship, Lotor spoke to Alphus and Allura before they replied.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be."

"Here we go."

With their resolve bold as ever, the pilots of the Comet ship pressed onward inside the gate and braced the blinding light that came.

* * *

Eventually, that same brightness became easily accustomed to as when they opened their eyes, they found small blue light specks around them, as if they found an invisible forest. As they gazed at the scene around them, Allura spoke of its beauty while Alphus couldn't find the words as she gave a small tear while remembering the lives that were lost at her hands and what she could do for them now.

"Extraordinary."

All the while, Lotor smiled as he looked at the scene around him.

* * *

Back at the Castle, they received an alarm, making Sapphire hide behind Cilia as the mother grew curious.

"What's going on?"

As Babak checked the systems, he took notice of an incoming ship as he spoke to Shiro.

"I've got an incoming craft."

"Shields up, and out it on screen."

As Babak did just that, the group were surprised to see an Altean pod along with the Violet Lion, making Cilia and Sapphire gasp while Babak and Coran grew shocked as if they'd seen a ghost before Ayame spoke to Shiro about the Violet Lion.

"That... that can't be!"

"It's an Altean pod! A really old one!"

"And the Violet Lion, too. What do you think that all means?"

"Let's find out. Attention, Altean pod, identify yourself."

As a result, the pod changed into that of a monitor, showing Keith with Sandra.

"Shiro, it's Keith."

"And Sandra, too. Lapis and the others are on the Violet Lion."

Seeing their faces again, the group became shocked while Ayame had a look of longing over her as she, Hunk, Jenny, and Lance spoke.

"Keith? A-Are you alright?

"Sandy? Where have you guys been?"

"And how did you guys get that pod?"

"Does he look bigger to you guys? He's bigger, right? No?"

This made Sandra give a small smile before she answered.

"Yes, we have gotten bigger, Lance. But that's not important right now. Where's Lotor?"

"He's already in the Quintessence field."

This made Keith and Sandra widen their eyes at Hunk's news as they spoke.

"Oh, no."

"Guys, you need to know what's going on."

* * *

Within the Quintessence field, Lotor looked at the systems and grew amazed at the energy output.

"Readings are beyond anything I could have imagined. What we do here today will change the course of the universe forever."

As he said this, Allura and Alphus looked at the specks around them as the latter had memories of how Zarkon turned out after his trip in the Quintessence field as she spoke.

"In the hands of the wrong person, this power could easily corrupt, like a virus."

"Together, we'll see it never does and continue the work your brother started so long ago. Now, let's see if we can collect some samples."

* * *

At the Castle, the Violet Lion and the pod entered the hangar bay before its mouth opened to reveal Lapis and her team walking out of it alongside Krolia and Xarnas. As they got out, Keith and Sandra took their turn to exit from the pod as Ayame and Shiro grew amazed at his growth as the latter spoke.

"Keith... it's so good to see you."

As Shiro said this, Ayame only ran toward Keith and hugged him, catching him by surprise as she spoke.

"You came back..."

A moment after she did so, however, Ayame realized her situation and quickly stopped herself before she looked at him with a blush and a smile on her face before Keith returned the same gesture while Lapis smiled and Adea giggled a bit from this before Lance spoke.

"Hold on. How do we know you're the real Keith and not his bigger, cooler, grizzled, older brother?"

To answer his question, Keith returned his usual answer towards him.

"I don't have time for this, Lance."

"Hey, everybody, Keith's back!"

"We need to stop Lotor. He's been lying to all of us!"

This made Shiro confused as he spoke up.

"Wh— Lying about what?"

At that moment, they heard a voice they didn't expect to hear as Jenny's skin began to crawl at this.

"Everything."

As they turned to the Violet Lion, they noticed Komar in cuffs with an Altean and a cosmic wolf leading him out as he eyed each one of them as well as the scenery inside while Babak, Lance, Jenny, and Hunk asked their questions before Komar spoke up.

"You're... you're an Altean!"

"And how did you find Xarnas? I thought he was a goner."

"What is that creep doing here?!"

"Is that a wolf?"

"So... this is where the magic happens."

Keith then turned to the others as Ayame spoke up, knowing her own history with Komar.

"What's going on here, Keith?"

"I promise I'll explain everything once we get to Lotor."

Jenny then gave him the news about the event of the Quintessence field.

"Didn't Hunk tell you? He's already in the Quintessence field with Allura and Alphus."

"We traveled through realities before. Can't we fly in there and attack?"

Lance then spoke up about another situation.

"She said Allura and Alphus are with him. We can't risk hurting them."

This made Hunk more confused as to why more than how.

"Why are we even attacking?"

Shiro, trying to prevent the situation from escalating any further, spoke out to the group.

"Look, Keith— Everyone, calm down. When they return, we'll get this all sorted out."

At that moment, Komar spoke up, despite his being prisoner.

"You won't have that time, you know. When Lotor gets back with the Quintessence, he'll have more than enough to advance his plans."

This made Ayame glare at Komar, knowing the pain he caused as she walked toward him.

"And why should we trust _your_ word at face value?"

"We need not be adversaries at the moment, Xaira."

"It's Ayame."

"Regardless, we have our differences. And there will be a reckoning, but not today. Today, I've come not on Kaecilius' behalf, but to protect you _from_ Lotor."

In the Quintessence field, Lotor and Allura spoke of its effects as he looked around and collected the Quintessence from in the ship.

"I can feel the Quintessence coursing through me."

"It's like my spirit, my whole being, is more alive."

As for Alphus, however, when she looked around, she only saw a flash of the robot silhouette and saw her own hands covered in moss for a moment, making her gasp before Allura spoke up.

"Are you alright?"

"I... I don't know. But this place... I think it's getting to me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Haggar conducted surveillance from her spell as she witnessed Keith, the cosmic wolf, the Altean, Krolia, and Ayame as if she was facing them herself before Shiro spoke up.

"Lance is right. You have changed."

"Time is different where I've been."

"Shiro, Keith has told me all about you. Thank you for raising him to be the man he is today."

At that moment, Ayame noticed the space wolf near her and found herself drawn to it as she gently placed her hand on its fur and brushed it back, making him go closer to her as it enjoyed her touch before she smiled as Krolia spoke.

"And Ayame..."

When she heard her voice, Ayame became nervous and refused to look at her, knowing she must hate her for being Zarkon's daughter, only to hear a different response.

"Keith told me about you, too. You don't have to be afraid. In fact, I'd think you and him would be great together."

As she held her hand to her, Ayame and Keith blushed simultaneously, making Jenny giggle at this before she brushed it off and smiled as she gratefully shook her hand.

"Thank you."

As Krolia smiled, Lance, Coran, Jenny, and Cilia spoke up to Keith about the unanswered questions.

"Okay, this is nuts! You and your sister come back with your Galra mom, a supposedly dead guy, a wolf, the life snatcher, and an Altean?"

"Yes, I'm still wanting to hear the story on how you found this Altean."

"And why that same guy who made me look like a grandma is in the same room as us!"

"Me, too. Sapphire and I thought our family were the only survivors, outside of Princess Allura and these two, of course."

This made Babak and Coran drop their chins as they felt they were dissed on purpose before Komar spoke up.

"Ah, yes. Believe it or not, our paths happened to cross on different motives when we met. I believe Romelle should tell her own story first."

With that, Romelle turned to Jenny as she spoke.

"I come from a planet where there are thousands of Alteans. We have lived there since the war with Zarkon began."

"For real? But... wasn't Altea turned into a wasteland?"

"Every Altean child knows about the story of how Lotor saved us from destruction. When Zarkon and Kaecilius attacked, many were off-planet on trading expeditions. When news spread about the destruction of our home by a white flash, those of us eco remained went into hiding for deca-phoebs. But Lotor, with his deep knowledge of Altean culture, managed to track some of them down."

* * *

 _In the flashback, it showed Lotor in a hood walking into a bar before meeting with two beings with green skin and white robes as he removed his hood, making them worried before he spoke unto them._

" _Hear me out! I know who you are. I come in peace."_

 _This made the two Alteans look to each other outvof concern before they sat back down while he spoke._

" _I have come to save the noble Altean people, to preserve your customs and traditions before they are destroyed like Altea itself. Please, come with me. I have created a haven where the Galra will never find you. It may not be Altea, but it will keep you safe. If my intention were to kill you, then you would be dead already."_

 _After their consideration, the Alteans revealed their true forms before looking to Lotor out of hope that what he speaks is the truth._

 _Over time, it showed many Alteans taken to the new haven with a blue sky and lush, green fields before they settled there while Lotor worked with a few Alteans in designing structures as more time elapsed to show a village as Romelle continued to explain._

"To keep the Alteans secure, Lotor hid them on a remote planet beyond the Quantum Abyss."

This made Coran, Hunk, and Jenny speak up, still confused on why they should stop Lotor altogether.

"So, Lotor saved Alteans?"

"Man, Lotor is even nicer than we thought."

"But... why are we trying to stop him, then?"

 _At the village, Lotor stood before a group of Alteans with two scientists by his side before they lined up on the ships._

"You'll see soon. Anyway, over time, the Alteans cane to worship Lotor as their savior. Generations ago, in an effort to increase our odds of survival, Lotor announced that he was creating another colony far from our own. But in order to do so, he needed to assess which Alteans were viable candidates to survive the journey. One by one, every Altean in the colony was given a series of tests."

 _When they got to the front of the line, some Alteans were shown to be worthy as the scans went blue before they allowed them to enter the ships with Lotor in one of them before they took off as Romelle continued explaining._

"Those who were deemed fit for the journey were loaded onto a cargo ship and taken to the second colony. It was considered the highest honor. Any communication between the colonies was strictly prohibited for fear that it would compromise the other's location. This was the world I was born into, one of unquestioning devotion to a supposed messiah. My brother Bandor was always faithful, but I had questions."

 _Later, it showed a Brown-haired young Altean standing beside Romelle as they looked at Lotor's statue and the engraving below it as she spoke._

" _So many of our people gone to the new colony. Petruilius, Gnautu, Rahz, and of course, Mother and Father. I miss them all so much."_

" _I'm sure we'll have a chance to see them again when we're chosen to travel to the new colony."_

" _But why can't we talk to them now? Lotor must have a way of communicating with them. He travels there all the time. So, why does he keep us in the dark?"_

" _You know why. Communication with the other colony would risk discovery by the Galra."_

" _So we're told."_

* * *

 _Even later, at a village, another cargo ship was parked while they lined up with Romelle being deemed unfit for the journey while Bandor was chosen, much to the sister's concern while she narrated._

"Eventually, Bandor grew old enough to be assessed for the journey to the other colony, and he was selected to leave immediately."

" _Don't do this!"_

" _It is Lotor's will."_

" _I'll never see you again! Don't let him tear our family apart."_

 _Bandor only gave Romelle a smile as she hugged him and brushed her hair back._

" _Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be selected to come to the colony soon. In the meantime, I made you something."_

 _As a gift, Bandor handed Romelle a small device as he placed it in her hand while he spoke._

" _It's a communicator."_

 _Romelle looked around for a bit before placing it on her chest to keep it hidden as she spoke._

" _Will I be able to talk to you on the other colony?"_

" _I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I hope so. Just remember, we suffer this isolation so the next generation may not have to. Goodbye, Romelle."_

 _With that, Bandor slowly walked away as their hands slipped before he went inside with a blue-haired Altean standing beside him before it took off with Romelle watching before it showed her sitting on the field of grass as she looked at her communicator, finding no signal as she narrated._

"When Bandor left, I felt completely alone. I tried to use the communicator he had given me, but it never worked."

* * *

 _Then, in Outer Space, it showed the cargo ship headed towards a moon while a Galra fighter followed them while Xarnas spoke up his own narration._

" _And it was at this point in her story where I came in. The Galra Empire had recently discovered someone using an unauthorized communicator and tried to follow the source. I initially believed it was the Blade of Marmora trying to find a new base, so naturally, I had to think of a way to resolve the issue and make a clean getaway."_

 _As the cargo ship landed, it loaded off a load of Alteans, including Bandor and the blue-haired Altean, much to Xarnas' partner's surprise as he spoke._

" _Alteans? What are they doing here?! We need to tell Emperor Zarkon about—"_

 _Before he could finish, Xarnas chopped him in the neck, making him pass out before he spoke._

" _Sorry, my friend. Too risky."_

 _With that, Xarnas stealthily hid behind the cargo ship and saw the so-called cargo walking in with the scientists before the door closed and he assumed it safer to press onward, seeing as they had a head start as he narrated onwards._

"When I had taken a good look, however, I realized it wasn't the Blade of Marmora, but neither was it Zarkon. And what's more, there were Alteans, a race previously thought to have gone extinct. So I decided to infiltrate the base and get the answers myself."

 _As Xarnas walked in, he made sure that he didn't attract too much attention before he notice blue glowing light from a corner before he pressed onward and looked through it. But to his horror, he found a tank of Divine Quintessence with the valves from the ceiling adding more of it in. As he saw this, Xarnas realized what it actually was._

" _This is no base... it's a Quintessence bank. But where are the donors?"_

 _This made him gasp as he realize what the donors were as he saw them not too long ago._

" _The Alteans..."_

 _Not long after he found out for himself, he heard a shriek from far away and ran to the source before he noticed the same blue-haired Altean being bound to a tank by the scientists as she yelled out._

" _Let me go! Please!"_

 _When they did not hear her pleas, Xarnas grew and angry and went toward them, making her gasp and allowing the scientists to strap her in and turn on the tank before it began to siphon her life force as she grew tired before they heard footsteps, catching their attention before he spoke._

" _Didn't anyone tell you? Your shift was supposed to be over."_

" _We didn't hear about it."_

" _Look over there, and you'll see why."_

 _As they looked to Xarnas' left, he didn't hesitate to attack them as he took their heads and smashed them together, making them go unconscious before the Altean began to whimper in spite of her essence being drained before he spoke._

" _Compose yourself, Altean. I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to rescue you."_

 _To prove it, Xarnas used his luxite blade to dispatch of the tank and the bars before he carried her in his arms before he spoke._

" _We have to go. We don't have much time."_

" _N-No... Bandor... not without... Bandor..."_

" _Do you know where he is?"_

" _Somewhere in here..."_

" _Well, fine, But I can't take anyone else with me even if I wanted to. Just tell me when to stop."_

 _With that, Xarnas set her down by the tank he'd broken her out of to recover while also making sure to move the glass away from her before he looked at the tanks as he sidestepped with his blade at the ready and the Altean watching carefully before he happened to step into a fresh tank with Bandor, who is now becoming quite pale and thin before she spoke._

" _There... he's in there..."_

" _Not anymore."_

 _With that, Xarnas tore into the tank and broke Bandor out as he rasped and had difficulty breathing before Xarnas carried him and the Altean with him outside. As they got closer to the ships, however, when the other Altean was strapped in, Bandor spoke up as he could barely stand up from where he was set down by Xarnas._

" _W-Wait! The others! They need to know...! The colony...! Romelle...!"_

" _I've told your friend before, I can't take anyone else with me."_

" _No, listen. I need to take a pod to the colony. They must know the truth..."_

" _Look at the state of you, boy. In a condition like that, you won't be able to warn one soul before you meet your maker."_

" _Not quite... I have this."_

 _With that, Bandor showed Xarnas his custom communicator as he widened his eyes before he spoke._

" _So that's where the unauthorized communication came from. Well, I'm glad you've kept it. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you."_

" _You already have..."_

 _With that, Bandor began to run limping towards a pod before he went in and went for the Quantum Abyss, much to Lotor's surprise as he got the news from one of his scientists._

" _Prince Lotor, there's a Galra fighter on the premises. And one of the subjects is headed for the Quantum Abyss."_

 _As Lotor saw both vessels on the monitor, he became ghastly frightened. First, a Galra vessel had found them, and now a pod's headed towards the Quantum Abyss. If that fighter follows him..._

" _No... go after that fighter! I'll check on the pod!"_

 _With that, Xarnas took off from the base while he had the Altean in tow before he found himself under fire from the other fighters as he spoke._

" _You monsters will not get away with this!"_

 _With that, Xarnas swerved upward before he managed to shoot down the fighters from behind, ensuring that he and the Altean were safe before he looked to her while setting it on autopilot. As he gazed at her, Xarnas carried her in his arms before he sat down on the chair, looking to the stars before showing Romelle in her house alone on the bed with the communicator on the nightstand while Xarnas narrated._

"While it was true that the Galra were despicable on their own, none of the officers I worked with held a candle to the monstrosity I witnessed. Romelle saw it as no better, either."

* * *

 _Suddenly, the communicator began beeping before she picked it up and heard Bangor's weak voice._

" _Bandor!"_

" _Romelle... you were right."_

" _Where are you?"_

" _The forest outside town. Hurry..."_

 _Later, Romelle ran to the forest where she saw a smoking crater and a breach in a barrier above her before seeing the crashed pod and the weak Bandor before running to him and lifting him up before she spoke._

" _Bandor!"_

" _Lotor... the other colony... it's all a lie."_

 _With that, Bandor gave his last breath before he ceased to breathe any more, making Romelle saddened as she held him close._

" _No..."_

 _It was also at this moment when she heard Lotor's voice._

" _Over here."_

 _With that, Romelle took her cue to hide before Lotor and two armed scientists went with him before he spoke._

" _Clean up the wreckage. Leave no evidence this ever happened."_

 _With that, Romelle took off from the crater as Lotor had a disheartened look for a moment before replacing it with that of determination._

* * *

 _The next morning, Romelle stood to face the stature once again, but this time, it wasn't out of questioning but of hate and malice towards him, followed by a determination to expose him as a fraud he is._

"My brother was dead. I knew the truth, or at least part of it, but I also knew that no one would believe me without proof."

 _Later, Romelle was seen to be washing up by the river as she gunned before she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Keith, Sandra, Krolia, Xarnas, the Rogue Thrust, the space wolf, and Xanthia as Xarnas spoke to her._

" _Calm yourself, Altean. We come in peace."_

 _With that, Romelle stood up as she faced them before they were in her house with Adea on top of Xanthia as she narrated before Keith spoke up._

"When Keith, Sandra, and the others arrived, they were my last chance at finding it. I told them what happened to my brother, and as it turned out, so many Alteans that had been taken before him. As they explained their mission to me, as well as Xarnas' daughter, we knew there must have been a connection between the missing Alteans and the pure strain of Quintessence."

" _Given your brother's weakened state, he couldn't have piloted this ship for very long. The other colony has to be somewhere nearby."_

 _This made Adea curious before Krolia answered her._

" _But that could mean anything. What could possibly be nearby?"_

" _There is a moon orbiting this planet that could house a colony."_

 _Hearing this, Xarnas widened his eyes before he spoke._

" _Now that you mention it... I do seem to recall finding this other colony when I rescued Xanthia._ "

 _This made the whole group widen their eyes before Romelle spoke._

" _You... you saved Xanthia? Where is she?!"_

" _Right here. Although, that colony didn't transform her into this. An unfortunate series of events have made it occur, as I've told you."_

 _Hearing this, Adea began to realize why she was adopted: she was never Galra to begin with._

" _Wait... you're saying that Xanthia's—"_

" _An Altean? Yes."_

 _For a while the group gasped in surprise before Adea looked at her and spoke before Lapis and Keith._

" _Huh. I did not expect that."_

" _But it would make sense. That would explain why she's hated the Galra."_

" _Well, whatever happened there, it's our only lead. But how will we get there with the Violet Lion out of commission?"_

 _Romelle knew what to do about that as she spoke up to them._

" _I have an idea."_

* * *

 _As the group walked outside, Romelle explained her idea to them._

" _These transports haven't been used in generations. None of the Alteans in the colony would know how to fly one, even if we desired to."_

 _With that, Keith gave a smile before he spoke._

" _I think I got us covered there."_

 _This made Lapis speak up about their own transport._

" _Well, I know how you guys are going, but what about the rest of us?"_

 _Adea has a curious idea spark in her mind as she turned to Xanthia._

" _I think I got us covered, too."_

* * *

 _With that, the Violet Lion and the pod headed for the moon with Xanthia on top of it as she powered it up with her hands before they took notice of the base on the moon as Krolia and Xarnas spoke._

" _There's something down there."_

" _That's the one. Prepare to land."_

 _With that, they landed by the base before running into it. As they did, they noticed a closed door blocking the way before Xarnas used his luxite blade to pierce into the wedge and pry it open before the whole group went in. As they looked around, Luzria began to get chills while Atchiam felt petrified._

" _Is anyone else getting cold in here?"_

" _If by cold, you mean terrified."_

 _And Atchiam was right to feel that way. When Romelle saw a tank with a being inside, she wiped the frost from the cold climate away before seeing a familiar face and grew scared as she spoke._

" _No! Petrulius! What's happening to them? These people were supposed to be headed to the colony!"_

 _As they looked around, the truth dawned onto Keith as he spoke up._

 _"Lotor is harvesting their Quintessence."_

 _Then, unexpectedly, they heard Komar's voice reply to them as he spoke._

 _"Of course he is._ _This is the true purpose of the colony."_

 _When the group turned, they saw Komar in front of them as he glared at them before Krolia and Xarnas spoke to him._

" _Komar..."_

" _So, couldn't stand another minute of isolation?"_

" _Not anymore... not since Haggar stole this concept from me, and Honerva's son managed to find it and repurpose it. It's sickening how much delight they find in taking from me."_

 _This made Xanthia growl before roaring as Adea grew concerned._

" _Xanthia, wait!"_

 _When she tried to attack, however, Komar vanished before he reappeared as he spoke._

" _So... you're the source of my returning youth. Sad to say as it is, I'll have to take your Quintessence."_

 _With that, Komar got out his siphon before he fired it at Xanthia as Adea grew worried._

" _No!"_

 _As a result, however, Xanthia's body began to shrink as did her extra arms before her skin color changed and her jagged teeth went back to normal as she regained her blue eyes and fell unconscious as Adea widened her eyes in surprise before she and Xarnas ran over to her and checked her to notice her Altean features as well as the blue markings before she spoke._

" _She's... back to normal?"_

" _She is... and unconscious at that. It'll be a while before she wakes up. Still..."_

 _As Adea checked up on her, Xarnas glared at Komar as he spoke._

" _What have you done?"_

" _What you could not, Xarnas. I cured her of her condition. But more importantly, I've found the necessary Quintessence to regain the damaged cells I've lost."_

 _As he said this, Krolia began to realize his true goal._

" _Is that why the Alteans are here? To make sure you've regained your essence?!"_

" _I'm afraid you're mistaken, Krolia. These Alteans' Quintessence can't even hold a candle to the stockpile I've just siphoned. I knew that it alone was the key to regaining my cells that you robbed me of on Earth. Besides, even I didn't know about it until you've brought me here. So really, I should thank you on both counts."_

 _While he said this with a glare towards her,_ _Lapis spoke up about their suspect as Xarnas glared at Komar._

" _How do we know he's telling the truth?"_

" _We don't. But so far, given how Lotor is farming their Quitessence, it checks out. And while that may be the case, that doesn't mean he gets to go free."_

 _Komar only gave a smirk as he spoke._

" _Of course. I would expect nothing less..."_

* * *

At the Castle, Coran couldn't believe the story they've heard as he, Jenny, Lance, Keith, and Ayame spoke.

"That's horrifying."

"All this time.. _."_

"So many good people... just rotting away like that."

"I can't believe he fooled us."

"He's a monster."

"No. I don't believe you, Komar. You've got to be lying."

Komar only gave her a smirk as he spoke.

"Oh, Xaira. I thought we agreed not to lie to each other."

As he said this, Ayame couldn't take the news anymore than she could stand. First, Zarkon committed horrible acts against the universe, and now her half-brother is doing the same? None of it was acceptable for her.

"Excuse me. I need some time to myself."

As Ayame walked out, Keith glared at Komar as he spoke.

"I don't know what you're really up to, but if you hurt anyone, you'll answer to me."

"Consider it noted."

With that, Keith went out of the hub and found Ayame in the hall shedding tears about the news before Keith spoke.

"Hey, calm down, Ayame."

"How can I? Lotor harvested those Alteans, and I _helped_ him! How is any of that okay?!"

As Ayame wept at this, Keith gave her a hug in return for the hug he gave her when he arrived before he spoke.

"It wasn't your fault. You just didn't know. No one can blame you for that."

While feeling the warmth of Keith's arms, Ayame nestled her head against his chest as she sighed before they heard an alarm from the hub as Coran noticed this.

"They're back."

Seeing this, Romelle saw an opportunity to strike Lotor, regardless of Allura and Alphus' presence and in desperate need of vengeance.

"What are you waiting for? Open fire!"

Babak, naturally, had to vie against it, as did Cilia.

"Out of the question!"

"Princess Allura and Alphus are in there!"

At the same moment, Hunk grew afraid of what they have to do as he and Babak spoke up.

"We're gonna let him back onboard."

"We must. As long as the princess and Alphus are with him, we can't risk any sort of attack unless we don't have a conscience, like one of us in this room."

This made Komar snarl as he spoke.

"I can't help but feel I'm insulted."

Despite this, Shiro spoke in their favor.

"Babak and Cilia are right. We can't do anything until they're safe. Once Allura and Alphus are secure, we will take Lotor down."

* * *

In the hangar bay, Lotor held his hand for Allura while he and Alphus went down before he spoke to the Princess.

"We accomplished something amazing today, and it would've never happened had it not been for you."

"It is a moment I will never truly forget."

As they gazed in each other's eyes, Allura and Lotor leaned in towards each other's faces before they each had the other a kiss on the lips as Alphus smiled before she spoke up.

"Okay. Let's go tell them the good news."

* * *

When they got to the hub, however, Allura, Alphus, and Lotor were surprised to see Coran and the Paladins standing in place as if they were expecting an enemy. Allura grew confused about the reason for this as she spoke.

"What's going on?"

In response, Keith, Ayame, Komar, Xarnas, and Krolia filled the circle and trapped Lotor, Allura, and Alphus with Lapis, Rogue Thrust, Belle, and Romelle closing the gap alongside Babak, Cilia, and Sapphire (who bore a look of fierce determination) as Jenny spoke to Allura and Alphus.

"Guys, step away from Lotor."

"I will do no such thing!"

"Jenny, what's going on here?"

As an answer, they heard the voice of Romelle, shocking Lotor as he widened his eyes before the two grew shocked.

"Lotor is a monster and has been harvesting Divine Altean Quintessence for generations!"

This made Allura and Alphus surprised to see Romelle before the former spoke up first as they turned to Lotor who showed a saddened, guilty look.

"An Altean!"

"Lotor, what did you do?"

To answer, Romelle and Pidge spoke for him.

"You killed my brother and thousands of others!"

"Lotor's been lying to us the whole time! He's a murderer, just like his father!"

As Lotor tried to explain, Komar took his cue to speak up.

"You know nothing about you speak!"

"Don't they?! You do not get to speak for them, Lotor! Not now they know your secret!"

This made Allura worried before she spoke to him while Komar continued to splotch his reputation for the worst.

"What are they talking about?"

"To think Kaecilius always spoke of mortals' crimes when what you've done is far worse! You've turned the Alteans into glorified batteries!"

"Allura, listen to me. I've dedicated my life to preserving Altean culture. Now that we've unlocked the Quintessence field, all of your people, who would've been hunted down long ago had it not been for my intervention, can live in peace. Were some lives lost in the process? Yes. But they were martyrs to a noble cause."

Komar interrupted Lotor with another rant as he shouted.

"OPEN YOUR EYES! As much as it pains me to say this, Kaecilius was right about one thing. You are a vile sinner! You got enable and inspired the Galra!"

"I sacrificed a few to preserve the future for millions."

"You helped to light the flame of his so-called Justice! You helped to launch the Komar Experiment! So the next time you mourn your people, remember they're dead because of YOU!"

"Allura, do not let him ruin everything we've worked for. Think about what we experienced in the Quintessence field."

The moment she heard this, Allura widened her eyes before she gripped his hand on her shoulder before slamming him to the floor, making Lotor pass out before he fell unconscious as Allura shed tears at this betrayal before Alphus found herself in disbelief.

"Why would he do this?"

Before anyone can answer, they received another alarm, seeing Ezor, Zethrid, and Acxa moving in as Adea spoke up.

"Guys, it's Ezor and the others! They're here!"

Hunk can already assume what they're here for as he spoke before Lapis got confused on where they came from.

"Lotor's troops. They're stealing the ships!"

"But how did they find us?"

At the same moment, Shiro began to suffer an incredible headache as he placed his hands on his head and knelt down before Belle spoke up before Ayame.

"Shiro!"

"Are you okay?"

Shiro could only grunt in response before he heard Haggar's voice speaking to him.

" _Give in. You cannot resist..."_

As Shiro groaned, Coran grew worried about what's going on as he spoke to Belle.

"What's happening to him?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to find out."

Suddenly, the scene changed to show Haggar in front of him as she spoke again.

" _You are mine now... give in!"_

With that, Shiro's pupils began to glow light purple, making Belle widen her eyes in realization as Lance.

"Allura, Alphus, Jenny, and I will secure Lotor. Hunk, Lapis, Ayame, Belle, help Shiro. Everyone else, get down to the hangar and stop those guys!"

As the group took off, Hunk noticed Shiro growling before he tried to check on him.

"Shiro?"

At that moment, he looked at him with a vicious look before Belle spoke to him.

"Hunk, get away from Shiro before you—"

However, it was too late as Shiro tossed Hunk at Babak and Coran, sending them flying before Lance spoke to him.

"Shiro, what are you—?"

As an answer, he viciously turned to Lance and punched him before Jenny shouted out of worry.

"Lance!"

As Jenny went to him, Komar have a chuckle before he spoke.

"It seems Lotor wasn't the only traitor..."

As he vanished, Shiro got out his bayard and changed it before chucking it at Allura, who dodged it and landed near Romelle and Alphus before he beat them down and focused on Jenny as she closed her eyes and gasped as she graced for the worst, only for Belle to stop his attack with her robot arm before she and Ayame spoke.

"Shiro! Snap out of it!"

"Why are you doing this?!"

As an answer, Shiro gave Belle a sucker punch before flipping her to the floor as he lunged at Ayame and beat her down with his fist before he proceeded to attack Jenny only for Haggar to speak to him.

" _You will bring her to me alive. Her and Lotor are all that I need."_

With that, he hesitated to throw his punch as Jenny saw him struggling.

"Shiro. I know it's you in there. I know my sis saw something in you. And I believe her. Please, stop this."

However, Jenny was proven to be wrong as she was immediately sucker punched in the gut, making her double over before she spoke softly.

"Why...?"

As she passed out, Shiro picked her up in his shoulder before doing the same for Lotor as he walked out with Alphus and Allura seeing them walking out with the former having a look of fear over her.

"No...! Jenny!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hangar, they arrived just in time to see the Comet ship take off before Atchiam spoke up.

"We're too late!"

At that same moment, they noticed another ship hovering before Adea noticed Ezor inside as the both of them had a look of longing over them.

"Ezor..."

"Adea?"

That moment didn't last long, however, as Ezor put on a look of anger and opened fire on the group before Adea used her wrist communicator to hack into the ship's comma and spoke with her as she opened fire before Adea tried to reach out to her.

"Ezor, why are you doing this?!"

"It's not like I have a choice! I don't want to be taken out!"

"Taken out? By who?"

Realizing she's said too much, Ezor gasped before she shut off the comms and went out of the hangar, leaving Adea saddened before they noticed Shiro with Jenny and Lotor on his shoulder as she spoke.

"Huh? What the...?"

At that moment, Allura spoke up to the Paladins via comms.

"Shiro's gone mad! He's escaping with Jenny and Lotor! Stop him before he gets to the ship!"

Seeing this, Pidge ran out to the hangar as Shiro placed Lotor on a seat first before placing Jenny on top of him before jumping in himself as Pidge prepared to fire at the pod, only to meet Shiro's cold gaze as the visor went down and the pod took off as Haggar's voice congratulated him.

" _Good. Now bring them to me..."_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hangar, Ayame and Belle caught up to Keith and the others before Luzria spoke up.

"You're too late. Lotor's troops took off, and Shiro went off with Jenny and Lotor. What's the plan now?"

Keith had an idea as he spoke to the others via comms.

"We need to stay focused. Hunk, Lance, Allura, Alphus, Lapis, can you still Pilot your Lions?"

"Yeah, I'll manage."

"We've got this."

"I think so."

"It has to be done."

"Oh, yeah. I'm ready."

"Then let's go. If we're gonna fight Lotor's ships, we need Voltron."

Pidge only saw one problem with that.

"Shiro's gone. Who's gonna pilot the Black Lion?"

"I will."

As Keith walked away, Ayame and Belle stopped him as they spoke.

"Keith, wait. We're going with you in the Black Lion."

"Shiro has my sister in there. And we want to save both of them as much as you do."

"Okay."

With that, the Trio got in their Paladin armor before they made a break for the Black Lion as it came online and roared.

* * *

Outside, the Sincline ships were flying in formation along with the pod before they suddenly came under siege from the Lions as they fired their lasers before the Black Lion focused in on the pod and Athens group inside spoke to him.

"Shiro, it's Keith!"

"And Ayame!"

"And Belle, too. Listen, I've been under someone's control before. It's gonna be okay. We just need to—"

However, before Belle could speak any further, Shiro cut off the feed before they received an alarm as the Paladins sent their alarms.

"I can't shake them!"

"Keith!"

"Help!"

Left with no other choice, Keith went back to the Sincline ships as they fired at the Lions with one of them successfully hitting Hunk before Lance got hit while Allura and Alphus managed to evade it and Pidge got hit just before Lapis arrived in the Violet Lion where in the cockpit, Adea held onto the unconscious Xanthia as she spoke softly.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt..."

As the Sincline ship fired, however, its weapon was interrupted by Keith who flew in the Black Lion with Ayame and Belle as his copilots before he spoke.

"Guys, were no match for them in our lions. Form Voltron!"

With that, while the main lions combined into Voltron, the White and Violet Lions transformed and stood ready to face the Sincline ships as they and Shiro glared at the opposing side.


	51. Black & White

**Chapter 50** : Black & White

In Outer Space, the battle between the Voltron Force and the Sincline ships broke out while Shiro was making his getaway with Lotor and Jenny to which Keith, Belle, and Ayame took notice of before they beefed away from the Sincline ships, only for them to fuse their lasers into one giant one and force Voltron to block with the shield before it collided against the meteor as the space wolf, Babak, Xarnas, Coran, Cilia, Romelle, Krolia, and Sapphire watched in horror before the bodyguard spoke up.

"I'm headed your way!"

Ayame didn't think Babak's impulse to be wise as she spoke.

"Babak, no! The Castle of Lions barely survived the first time we fought one of those ships. You'll only—"

At that moment, the main Voltron became struck by their laser as he grunted before Lapis spoke up.

"Ayame! Hang in there!"

As the Violet and the White Lions joined with the main one who was bracing fire, Allura spoke to Babak next.

"Ayame is right, Babak! The ship's defenses will never hold!"

As Pidge and Lance struggled under the pressure, Lapis and Alphus gave them an idea.

"Guys, we can't take this much longer!"

"Do you guys have any ideas?"

"I think so. But Violet's ion cannon only has one charge left."

"So let's make what we have count."

With that, the Violet Voltron got its ion cannon out while the White Voltron opened it chest to reveal a blue light inside before Alphus spoke.

"On my mark! One... two... now!"

With that, the Violet and White Voltrons fired their own blasts of Quintessence, pushing the Sinclines' blast away before Keith spoke to them.

"Thanks, guys. Lance! Pidge! I need you guys to help push it back!"

"Right!"

"On it!"

With that, Voltron joined in the clash, firing a white laser from both Green and Red Lions as it formed a swirl of blue, dark purple, and white Quintessence, pushing against their own blast before it resulted in an explosion that sent both sides back as they were sent farther away from each other. Not long after, they had to recover for a moment before Pidge spoke up.

"What just happened?"

Considering that the blasts from weaponized Quintessence was in the middle when it exploded, Alphus made a valid guess to the situation.

"I'm guessing the Quintessence's clash reached its equilibrium. We couldn't push it any further than they could."

At that moment, Alphus realized that Jenny was still being captured as she spoke up.

"Wait. Who's got eyes on Jenny?!"

At that moment, they heard a sound far away before they turned to notice a purple portal opening in front of the Sincline ships before Pidge and Lance spoke up.

"Is that—?"

"A wormhole?"

Seeing this, Allura had a hunch about who's behind this.

"Haggar. It has to be Haggar. She must've gained the ability, but how?"

Keith was more worried about the pod leaving as he spoke up before Hunk reminded him.

"We can't worry about that. We have to make sure we get Shiro and Jenny back."

"But Shiro's not Shiro anymore."

This obviously discontented Belle as she spoke.

"Just like I wasn't me anymore when Kaecilius corrupted me. Maybe the same thing's happening to him. If Lotor isn't behind it, then the Galra or Kaecilius have to be behind it."

Keith was in support of Belle's theory as he spoke up.

"You all know he would never give up on us. We can't give up on him."

With that, the three Voltrons managed to boost toward the ships escaping before Lapis noticed a problem with the main Voltron's thrusters.

"Uh, Keith? One of your thrusters is down."

As he took notice of this, he spoke to his group before Pidge and Hunk responded.

"Can you compensate?"

"Those beams torched our power core. I've never seen anything like it."

"We've got maybe 30 seconds of over-clocked burn time."

Ayame didn't feel that time was enough as she spoke up.

"Hit your thrusters if you have to! We're not letting them take Takashi _or_ Jenny!"

In panic mode, the Voltron Force sped up in a sonic burst as Hunk spoke of the bad news.

"We're halfway through our burn. 25%."

As the pod went through the portal, Keith only growled before the Sincline ships went in as Hunk, Lance, and Pidge spoke.

"15%. 8%!"

"We're not gonna make it!"

"We're too heavy!"

Keith, not willing to lose his best friend, sparked an idea from desperation.

"Disband."

This made the Paladins, save for Belle and Ayame, surprised as they spoke.

"What?"

"The energy from disconnecting might create enough thrust to propel me, Belle, and Ayame through the wormhole."

Hearing the potential stress in her voice, Allura spoke as if it wasn't the best option as he spoke.

"But you'll be the only ones on the other side!"

As the wormhole shrunk, Keith snapped back with a vengeance.

"Do it!"

With that, the Paladins disbanded Voltron while the Black Lion was sent propelling through the wormhole before it successfully entered at the last second as it finally closed, leaving only six Voltron Lions as Adea spoke up an inquiry.

"So... what do we do now?"

* * *

On the other side of the wormhole, the Black Lion found itself under siege by countless Galra cruisers above the same planet where they previously fought Kaecilius in a deal that backfired on him. As it came under fire, Keith spoke up.

"Alright, gotta play this smart."

With that, the Black Lion evaded the ships firing at him while the Sincline ships cruiser normally with the pod before Ezor took notice of the Black Lion as she, Zethrid, and Acxa spoke up.

"Wow. I can't believe he made it."

"I'll take him out."

"No. You two escort the package back to Haggar. I'll take care of this one."

With that, the Black Lion was met with a Sincline ship piloted by Acxa before Ayame noticed her face inside the window.

"Acxa? She's in on this?"

"Hold on, guys!"

With that, Keith thrusted it away as the Black Lion went under a Galra cruiser before swerving back up and landing on it before firing a laser at point blank range, making her grunt as she sent back before they went for the main cruiser.

* * *

Inside the cruiser, Shiro brought Jenny and Lotor to Ezor, Kurziam, and Zethrid who were waiting inside the entrance before Lotor spoke up as Jenny looked at the scene in spite of her situation.

"Zethrid. Ezor. Kurziam."

As Jenny looked left and right at the two, she became confused at the exchange in glances before she raised an inquiry that Kurziam answered.

"Wait. I thought you guys were on his side?"

"Not anymore. We're working for Haggar, now."

This made Jenny widen her eyes before she growled upon realizing what happened back on the ship.

"So that's why Shiro's acting this way... it wasn't Kaecilius _or_ Lotor. It was _her_... I can't believe I forgot about her."

Before she could shout any word in retaliation, they heard a thud as it tumbled before Jenny noticed the Black Lion clawing its way in as she looked at its face glancing at them, only to get an alarm before the Black Lion had to continue its bout with Acxa as it took off before it resulted in the air getting sucked up before Ezor punched a lock, causing the door to close before the group fell back to the ground while Zethrid got Jenny and Lotor up on their feet again.

"We'll take it from here."

As she walked them forward, Ezor grew curious about the currently still Shiro before she leaned closer to him.

"Um... is it broken?"

Zethrid called out to her as she shouted far away.

"Just leave it. We've got orders."

Orders which Ezor disregarded as she poked at his face, making Zethrid shout again.

"Ezor!"

"Coming."

With that, Ezor took off with the group before Haggar spoke with Shiro in a psychic link.

" _You are to lead the Black Lion away from the fleet. Is that understood?"_

" _Yes. But how am I to lure it away?"_

" _The Red and White Paladins' connection to you runs deep. Deeper than the others. They still believe there is good left inside you, which leaves them vulnerable to persuasion. You will exploit this weakness."_

" _I understand. And_... _what about Kaecilius?"_

" _He shall be done away with. His radical idea of justice will threaten to expunge what I have planned. He is a risk we cannot take."_

* * *

As Keith flew away from Acxa as she gave chase, he spoke to himself about how to get in the cruiser.

"Think. Think. How are we gonna get in there?"

As Belle noticed the pod leaving, she pointed to it as she spoke.

"I don't think we'll have to. Look!"

As the pod took off, Keith put the pedal to the metal as he and Ayame tried to reach out to him.

"Shiro, come in. I know you're there!"

"Please, listen, Takashi. I don't know what's wrong, but I know we can fix this."

As they tried to convince him, Acxa tried to aim at them in the back before the ship spoke to her.

"All ships, dock immediately. Prepare for hyper-jump."

As the ship was about to fire, though, Acxa hesitated for a moment before she sighed and turned away before Belle took her turn to speak.

"We know you're hurting, Black. We just need to keep it together for a little longer. But that means..."

With that, the ships took off in hyper jump before she came to a frightening realization.

"What if... what if I left Jenny behind?"

As tears came to her eyes, Keith remembered when Jenny had to make that sacrifice, too and how well it turned out since then as he spoke to her.

"You know, Jenny had to make that choice before, too. But she still got you. And I know she can pull it together for you."

This made Belle smile at him before she nodded and spoke.

"You're right, Keith. Let's do this."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Castle, Pidge and Hunk did a perimeter check on the lions and the Castle's overall condition while Allura was using the Castle to identify Keith, Ayame, and Belle's Quintessence. At the same time, Sandra noticed a sense of unease from Alphus as she leaned on the wall before she spoke.

"Alphus... are you okay?"

"I don't know. First, I've been getting these visions in my head that I can't even begin to make sense of, and now Jenny's gone."

"Hey, Keith, Ayame, and Belle are on their trail. I know they'll find them and bring them back."

"I hope you're right..."

With the diagnostics covered, Pidge and Hunk spoke to the others.

"Okay, all lions are in their hangars and their power cores appear to be recharging."

"Structurally speaking, the lions are at about 60%. Well, except Violet and White, which are still A-Okay. Whatever those ships hit our Lions with, really did some damage."

As Allura use of the Teludav proved to be in vain, Lance inquired of her chances.

"Any luck yet, Princess?"

"No. I-I'm afraid not. I fear that the wormhole may have deposited them beyond my ability's reach."

As Alphus heard this, she became disheartened while Babak walked up as he spoke of another idea that could hopefully locate them.

"I'll try to contact some of the coalition forces to provide assistance, assuming they'll even bother listen to us."

At that moment, the lights in he Castle, save for the Balmera shut down, making Lance and Allura alarmed.

"Whoa."

"Coran, what's happening?"

As Coran checked the diagnostics again, he made a very troubling discovery.

"It appears the Castle's systems are shutting down one by one. It looks as though someone's hacked into the ship and let loose a 'kill' protocol of some sort."

This made Pidge frightened as she and Hunk spoke to Coran.

"Have you tried an override?"

"Or maybe counteracting it with a 'live' protocol? Is that a thing?"

As Pidge got down to work, Coran have her the bad news of it.

"The virus is moving too fast."

"Okay. I'm in the system. Subroutines 8 through 19 have me completely locked out. But if I can just skip ahead to— come on, come on, come on."

As Pidge tried to find the solution, Coran began to give out warning signs as they came.

"Spectra generator down. Stabilizers are down. Main turbine also down."

Suddenly, the light from the Balmera began to shut down before it collapsed and was about to fall on Allura before Sandra pushed her aside before either of them would get impaled or crushed by it as Coran sand Pidge poke.

"Crystal matrix offline! Particle barrier generator down!"

"There! I've got it isolated. Now I just have to lock it down with a multi-layered tri-tetragonal quarantine. And... almost..."

With that, the alert came online for a moment before all of the systems have been revitalized while Pidge spoke in celebration.

"Yes!"

As Coran exhaled and Hunk and Pidge leaned don in the chair in relief, he paid her a compliment.

"Well done, Pidge."

At that moment, however, the Castle shut down again before the alerts came on rapidly before Pidge tried to sort them all out.

"The virus has countermeasures that specifically targeted my quarantine! It's like... it knew!"

And it was at that moment when all of the Castle's shut down again, this time with the monitor and the computer as Coran spoke.

"If this shuts down the teludav's mass regulator, this ship, along with everything in the neighboring subsystem, would be destroyed."

Then, seemingly, in a moment of panic, Pidge ran out of the hub as Sandra and Hunk grew worried.

"Uh, where are you going, Pidge?"

"No time!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Galra Cruiser, Lotor and Jenny were taken to Haggar by Kurziam, Ezor, Acxa, and Zethrid with the latter of the prisoners giving a glare towards her way as she spoke.

"You... what did you do to Shiro?! When my sis finds out about this—"

"That is none of your concern. Nor is it your sister's. You have more pressing matters to deal with."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

At that moment, Haggar took off her good and turned to face Jenny and Lotor, revealing her brown face and long red marks on it as she spoke.

"A teaching moment."

As Jenny saw her face, she grew acutely shocked, as if she'd been stabbed in the heart with a dagger while Ezor, Acxa, Kurziam, and Zethrid were overcome with that same shock as Lotor just gave a glare before she turned to him while Jenny felt overwhelmed as tears came down her cheeks like a waterfall giving red sclera to her eyes.

"Prince Lotor. My son."

"Honerva...?! You... _you_ were Haggar all along? WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!"

As Jenny's voice echoed in the ship while the owner of which wept at the terrible things she'd done to her friends, and for apparently letting herself be used by the time she spent with her, Honerva proceeded to try to soothe her with the truth while also explaining to her only son, Lotor.

"The anger you feel toward me is... to be expected. But understand that the events that transformed me into the witch Haggar also shrouded any glimmer of maternal instinct I may have had for you and my one and only child. However, the both of you have continued the work I started all that time ago and have indeed seen it through to heights I could have only imagined. And... thanks to you, I did get to see Oriande, Jennifer. You weren't lying. It was beautiful."

As Honerva showed compassion towards Jenny as she placed her hand on her teary face, she showed hesitation, though a part of her wanted to believe her word.

"You... you used us..."

"And I'm greatly sorry for what I've done to you and your friends in the past. And for what happened to your ownership of the White Lion. But with your resolve, I knew I wasn't needed. Your never-ending pursuit of knowledge is truly the greatest force to be reckoned with, and there is much more for us to learn, together. Please, listen, Jenny. Everything I did, I did for you. You and my family mean more to me than anything in this universe."

When she said this, however, Jenny remembered all the evidence to the contrary as she listed them in her mind and glared at her.

"Exactly what good is your word?"

This took Honerva aback as she gasped and staggered back as the two stood up with Jenny unleashing her hate on her verbally.

"Where were you when we were in trouble with Kaecilius? Where were you when I lost the White Lion? And where were you when Lance was about to die?! All those times, you could've arrived to help, but you didn't! You left me alone! But you wouldn't care about that, would you?!"

As Jenny shouted at Honerva, this made Lotor's former generals appalled by how much Jenny has been hurt as Zethrid whispered in intrigue.

"Woof. Talk about rage."

"How can you say that you cared about me when none of what you did backs any of that up?!"

"Jennifer, please understand—"

"I don't know who I'm really talking to, but I do know one thing: you don't care who you hurt, because they don't mean anything to you. And guess what? You don't mean anything to me anymore."

When Honerva herself got struck by those words that came from Jenny, Lotor, whose hands were trembling at these words, interrupted her, making Honerva and the shaken Jenny look to him as he spoke onwards.

"There's no point speaking any further. She knows the truth now, just as much as I do. My mother ceased to exist when Honerva drew her last breath. Do not believe for a moment that I would ever accept _you_ as kin. You are an abomination, a twisted perversion or what was once so pure and beautiful. The end is near, witch. I know you can sense it. If you beg for your life now, _maybe_ I will take pity on you when the time comes."

Taking in Lotor's harsh words to heart, she closed her eyes in silence before she put on a scowl at the both of them as she spoke to Acxa.

"Take them away."

As Acxa walked up, she instead pointed her gun at Honerva, confusing Jenny and the other generals before she made the shot. Just before she could, she teleported in a dark haze before the bullet hit the wall as Kurziam, Acxa, and Zethrid spoke up in alarm.

"A-Acxa!"

"Did you just kill her?!"

"Are you working with Lotor?!"

Seeing the opening, Jenny saw an opportunity to run as the generals were distracted before she bolted from them, making Ezor look toward her as she and Zethrid spoke.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"Let's get her!"

However, Lotor spoke otherwise as he got released from his cuffs by Acxa.

"You will leave her be. I can explain everything, but I assure you, the witch is not dead. If you're with me, we need to get to the Sincline ships and leave now."

As Ezor and Zethrid heard this, they gave their own replies.

"Um, sure?"

"We're good."

"Right, then. We're headed for the Castle of Lions' last known location. No doubt Jennifer is headed there, too."

Acxa then spoke up about a matter of transportation.

"Sir, the wormhole deposited us on the far side of the Thizonian system. We'll need to make multiple hyperspace jumps and even then, it will take some time."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Jenny went in the hangar and looked to notice a lone Galra fighter amidst it with a surprising lack of Galra drones as she ran to it and hopped in before she turned it on and spoke to herself.

"Okay. Let's get out of here."

With that, Jenny piloted the fighter to exit the cruiser before diverting from the cornucopia of cruisers before she realized her situation as she also noticed the Sincline ships using hyperspace to take off quickly before she spoke.

"Oh, Quiznak. Right. If I just go the same path as them, I'll find my way back."

With that, Jenny used the fighter's boosters to go as fast as she could to catch up to Lotor and the Sincline ships, hoping to see her friends again.

* * *

In the meantime, Keith, Ayame, and Belle noticed a moon where the pod took off to as they noticed it and a set of footprints leading somewhere before they landed and walked its path into a cave while Belle had a look of concern over her before Keith and Ayame noticed this as well as a door leading to an elevator, which took them to a secret base as they noticed a giant laser suspended at the top and a whole section of tanks around them as Ayame, Belle, and Keith spoke.

"What is this place?"

"I wish I knew. When I was corrupted, I wasn't taken to a place like this."

"Keep your eyes open. Shiro has to be somewhere."

When they got to the center of the room, Keith placed his hand on one of the tanks before the lights came on, revealing Shiro within the tank wearing garment from the time he was a gladiator, making the group widen their eyes in absolute terror and shock as more tanks came on, showing more Shiros in each one, before Ayame turned to Belle.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know! But... you don't think Shiro's—"

At that moment, Kaecilius spoke behind them before they turned to him as he had a metal mask over the scarred part of his face as well as a purple quintessential arm.

"Yes, Kren. Not one of a kind anymore. Just as you and your friends are about to be slain. Because, after all, there is no Black Paladin to save you."

Seeing the prime suspect in front of them, Belle grew curious quickly as she spoke.

"What did you do to Shiro?! Are you controlling him?!"

"Controlling him? I don't know what you could possibly be talking about."

"Don't lie to me! I know you brainwashed him, the way you brainwashed me!"

"Oh, that. No, I abandoned that tactic in favor of this one. I'm sure you've noticed by now that Shiro is not one of a kind anymore. They're genetically bred to do my bidding. Imagine an army of Kuron policing the space of the galaxy. The universe. Upholding the law of Kaecilius."

At that moment, it was his turn to turn around as they heard a familiar voice.

"This universe has no place for you."

As they did, they noticed Shiro glaring at them while Kaecilius grew displeased momentarily.

"Clearly some fine tuning is required of this place. On the bright side, I get to kill the Black Paladin after all!"

As Kaecilius fired a blast from his quintessential arm, Ayame shouted in fear.

"No!"

However, Shiro prepared for that as he got his robot arm to block it, tearing the fiber of his uniform there to shreds before it ceased as he maintained his glare, making Kaecilius question the reality of the situation.

"Oh, Quiznak."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Castle, Coran spoke to Pidge about the reason why he took off.

"Pidge, what have you discovered?"

"Protocol's countermeasure. I recognized it."

This made Lance curious as he spoke.

"Recognized it? How?"

"From the code I scanned from Shiro's arm while we were looking for Galra installations."

This made Allura nervous about the meaning of it before Pidge confirmed it with a heavy heart.

"Wait. Are you saying Shiro is responsible for this?"

"Yes."

This made the whole group gasp before Adea panicked about it and Babak had another take on it.

"Say it ain't so!"

"It's possible. He did say he was getting headaches. Perhaps Kaecilius was trying to brainwash him as he did to Belle before?"

"Maybe. But right now, I need to figure out a way to deactivate this virus before it blows us all up. Lapis, Luzria, can you help me out?"

"You can count on us, Pidge."

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Shiro walked toward Keith, Ayame, Belle, and Kaecilius while Keith and Belle tried to reach out to him.

"Shiro, it's gonna be okay."

"Yes, I know."

"We just have to get back to the Castle."

"We... are not going anywhere!"

With that, Shiro immediately ran towards Keith, overlapping the stunted Kaecilius before Keith got his shield out and blocked the attack as Ayame looked on in horror.

"Keith!"

As Ayame went towards Keith and Shiro, Kaecilius raised his arm to fire another blast before a blue light knocked it away, urging him to turn to Belle, who was shown to have used her own synthetic arm that glowed blue to do so before forging a sword from the top of the wrist as she set it by her head.

"You leave them out of this! If you want my friends, you'll have to go through me!"

"How dare you try ordering around a god?"

With that, Kaecilius turned his synthetic arm into a scimitar before he spoke.

"But fight you, I will."

As Belle and Kaecilius began clashing their blades, Shiro had just knocked Keith and Ayame off of the platform beforrvlabdung in another as he jumped straight for them, only to miss as they rolled away before they got their luxite blades out while Shiro got out a purple aura blade from his synthetic arm before he leaped at them.

* * *

At the Castle, the teludav began hearing up as Allura spoke of the incoming situation.

"The teludav, it's reaching critical mass. Pidge!"

As Allura turned to them, she, Lapis, and Luzria were booking it on the hacking before Pidge responded.

"I know, I know."

"We're going as fast as we can on this."

"It's getting difficult to crack this with you guys putting this pressure on us."

While they worked, the teludav began to glow brightly as Lance spoke up.

"This thing's about to blow any second."

With the pressure put onto them, Pidge, Lapis, and Luzria worked rapidly before they were able to enter the code, this cooling down the teludav at the last second before the Lapis and Luzria sighed at the outcome before Hunk spoke.

"Uh, guys? How did you do that?"

This made Lapis and Luzria look at Pidge before they spoke up.

"Yeah. That code we just entered wasn't like anything we've seen."

"What kind of code was that?"

"When I was scanning Belle and Shiro's arms, I also made a copy of their programming. I created a virus that could terminate all their command prompts, in case something like this ever happened. Even after we know what Kaecilius is capable of... I never thought I'd have to use it."

As Pidge held her head down, Adea and Lapis placed their hands on her shoulders before the former spoke in comfort before Lapis spoke to Adea about the bad side of it.

"It's okay. At least we're all still alive."

"Yeah. But for what? The Castle's still down, Adea. How do you expect to get anywhere?"

As Adea raised her finger to answer, she found that she had none as she held her head down before she sighed.

* * *

At Base: Xanthium, Belle clashed her blue blade with Kaecilius repeatedly before she jumped away while firing blue blasts from her synthetic palm before Kaecilius leaped at her through the dust that resulted before she fired a blast to propel her upward and used the momentum to go behind him and slash through his chest, knocking him to the platform as she leaped and attempted to stab him, only for Kaecilius to teleport, making her miss before she looked around and noticed Shiro knocking Keith and Ayame away before he leaped at them and missed while cutting through the rails of the walkway they stood on before he proceeded to give chase and ensue in combat before, later, he punched Keith in the chin, knocking his helmet off while the two of them were forced to jump off, only for Shiro to jump on them and propel themselves further down, making Belle worried as she shouted.

"Shiro, stop! This isn't—!"

Before she could finish herself, Belle found herself blasted in the back by Kaecilius as she began to fall towards another section of the base while Shiro cut off a rope and used it to safely land before he looked up to see Keith swinging at him, knocking him back before he went in and swung his luxite blade, clashing it with Shiro's before he commented on his now purple, snarling face with yellow sclerae.

"That's the Keith I remember."

As Keith was off-guard for a moment, Shiro seized the opportunity as he swung his blade away from him and swung at his face, nearly missing his hair as he got a pointing end of it off before Ayame stepped in and blocked his blade with her switchblade before she and Keith were forced to back up before they rolled away as he swung at the scaffolding behind them, causing it to tip over before it fell in between Keith and Ayame on one side with Shiro on the other as Keith and Ayame spoke.

"Shiro, we know you're in there."

"You made a promise once. You told us you'd never give up on us."

"And I should've abandoned you, just like your parents did. And Ms. Nakamura. They saw that you were broken, worthless. I should have seen it, too."

Despite his words, Ayame and Keith were still adamant in their efforts as the former spoke.

"We're not leaving without you, Takashi!"

Shiro only gave a smirk before he spoke.

"Actually... neither of us are leaving."

At that moment, the base's purple color began to turn pink as the coloring changed before Belle looked around and saw Kaecilius smirking menacingly with his hand on a switch as he spoke.

"I did not count on Kuron being willing to assist in my divine work. But, oh well. Better late than never..."

At that same moment, Kaecilius triggered a change to Shiro's synthetic arm as it turned bright pink on the whole arm before he began to groan in agony before Keith spoke up out of fear.

"Shiro!"

However, not long after, Shiro's arm upgraded itself with claws and a spike on the shoulder, the same as Belle's arm when she went berserk last time before it shot a laser that decimated most of Base: Xanthium in the process before they faced the smirking Shiro who aimed his arm at them, forcing them to take off of the platform as they looked at Shiro again before he resumed his target practice, destroying the bridge and the tanks contains them in the process before they fell. As they did, Belle angrily glared at Kaecilius before her skin turned purple and her sclerae turned yellow as she yelled out and ran at him as she slashed swiftly at him while he used his Quintessence arm to extend itself when she tried to strike from behind and catch her before chucking her off like a whip before he leaped at her himself with his arm turned to that of a claw and he gripped her in the chest before pushing he down to the remaining platform, making dust ensue as Keith and Ayame rolled back up and noticed their luxite blades and tried to reach them before their strength gave out as Shiro landed in front of them, making Ayame's eyes tear up in fear before Shiro summoned his aura blade as he spoke to her.

"Just let go, Ayame. You don't have to fight anymore. By now, the team's already gone."

Hearing this, Ayame became fearfully frightened as she gasped.

"No..."

"I saw to it myself!"

"Please..."

Ignoring her pleas, Shiro prepared to strike them down and made Ayame close her eyes as she braved for the worst, only for Keith to block it with his luxite blade as he spoke.

"Shiro, please. You're my brother. I love you."

As he heard this, Belle spoke up with tears from far away, catching more of his attention.

"We all do, Shiro. We love you so much..."

At that moment, Kaecilius presses his quintessential claw on her head, making her gasp before he spoke.

"You will remain silent, mortal. Better yet, you will stay silent... forever!"

As Kaecilius crushed her head, Belle began to scream in intense agony before Shiro began to remember Honerva's words to him as his muscles trembled before he ceased his blade and pointed his hand at Kaecilius with an open palm as he spoke, making him cease his crushing as Belle looked on in surprise.

"You are a menace to this universe, Kaecilius. You won't be missed!"

With that, Shiro fired a full-powered laser from his hand, forcing Kaecilius to hold it back with his Quintessential arm before he began to grunt in difficulty before Belle took her cue to roll away. As she did, Kaecilius found he was quickly losing his grip as his arm began to dissolve into the light, making him frightened before the whole blast overtook him as he screamed in sheer pain while he disintegrated. With Kaecilius gone, Shiro took a deep breath as he looked at Belle and shed tears before his synthetic arm darkened in the lights until it was black as he spoke to the group.

"Keith, Ayame, Belle... I'm sorry..."

With that, the rest of the base began to collapse as it exploded, making the structure they stood on collapse, making all four of them fall before Keith caught Ayame while Belle caught Shiro with the group's of two hanging on as best they could before they noticed that Shiro had gone unconscious as Belle spoke.

"Shiro? Shiro! Can you hear me?!"

Unfortunately, Belle got her answer with the slips from her claw and Keith's luxite blade before they struggled to hang on as they looked at Shiro and remembered their memories of him as he, Belle, and Ayame were presented in class with Keith looking out the window before it showed Keith and Ayame with Shiro out in the desert before the whole base finally crumbled and they all fell off to their potential doom.

* * *

 _In a flashback, Keith was shown to be sitting out on a chair, bruised and battered along with a teenager in the same condition adjacent to him returning a glare as a teacher spoke of his misconducts to Shiro._

" _The only reason this kid is here is because you vouched for him. You need to make sure this doesn't happen again."_

" _Understood. I'll handle it."_

 _With that, Shiro walked out before the other kid went in as he spoke to Keith, who was beginning to have no faith in himself._

" _Hey."_

" _Look, I know I messed up. You should send me ack to the home already. This place isn't for me."_

" _Keith, you can do this. I will never give up on you. But more importantly, you can never give up on yourself."_

 _This made Keith look up at him in wonder, as if his words entered his heart and touched it._

* * *

In reality, as they fell, Keith opened his eyes with fierce determination, as did Ayame and Belle.


	52. Fear and Faith

**Chapter 51** : Fear and Faith

 _As Keith's eyes were closed, he could hear Shiro's voice speaking to him as he seemed to be in limbo._

" _Keith. Keith."_

 _Once he heard his voice, he opened his eyes to find himself in a dark purple realm where Shiro fought Zarkon originally as he heard his voice again._

" _Keith. Keith."_

" _Where are you, Shiro? Show yourself!"_

" _I know this must be confusing for you."_

 _As Keith got his bayard out, he tried to recall what happened before he blacked out._

" _What is this place? Where are we? You— you were trying to kill me. Ayame. And even Belle, too. The others! You— you said you..."_

 _At that moment, he felt a presence appear behind him before Keith saw Shiro as himself before widening his eyes as Shiro spoke._

" _I'm not here to harm you. Everyone is fine. Just let me explain. The thing that attacked you wasn't me."_

 _When he heard this, Keith remembered the other clones he saw, as well as Kaecilius before he growled._

" _So it was Kaecilius after all..."_

" _No. Although the evidence pointed to him, it wasn't him. He just made fabrications of the other clone. But I... I can't know who sent that clone your way."_

" _Well, can you tell me what you do know? Like where you've been all this time?"_

" _Since my fight with Zarkon, I've been here."_

" _When you disappeared?"_

" _Yes. I didn't know where I was or how much time had passed. My physical form was gone. I existed in another realm. I died, Keith."_

 _When Keith heard this, his eyes immediately widened in shock before Shiro spoke onward._

" _But the Black Lion somehow retained my essence."_

" _That's why Alphus sensed your Quintessence back then, isn't it? Wait... is that where we are? In the Black Lion's consciousness?"_

" _Yes. I tried to warn the others about the imposter on Olkarion, but our connection wasn't strong enough..."_

 _Before he could finish, Shiro began to fade away, making Keith worried as he shouted for him._

" _Shiro? Shiro!"_

* * *

When Keith woke up, he saw Ayame and Belle looking at him with worry before the first spoke up.

"Oh, Keith! Thank goodness!"

"I was starting to worry that we'd lose you."

As Keith stood up, he grew curious as he turned to Ayame.

"Where are we?"

"In the Black Lion. It found us drifting in space and got to us before we could run out of oxygen."

This made Keith widen his eyes as he spoke to the Black Lion in relief.

"You saved us."

Then, they heard groaning from far away before seeing Kuron unconscious and with his synthetic arm nodding before Keith turned to the girls.

"Why is Shiro's arm cut off?"

Belle gave her answer as she extended her blue aura blade for a moment.

"I had to cut it out. It was synced into his brain. That's why whoever controlled Shiro did it so easily. I'm just preparing for next time so it doesn't happen again."

As Belle drew her blade back, Keith knew that they had to know the truth.

"About that... when I was unconscious, Shiro, the real Shiro, told me everything."

This made the girls confused as Belle spoke before Ayame.

"The real Shiro?"

"What are you saying?"

"That thing that attacked us and disintegrated Kaecilius wasn't the real Shiro. It was his clone."

This made Belle worried about the answer to her next question as she showed hesitation.

"So... where was the real one, then?"

"He was dead. All along. But the Black Lion retained his essence, which is why Kuron piloted the Black Lion the way he did back then. Maybe... he had Shiro's essence, too."

Having been delivered the sad news, Ayame bore a look of pure grief as she looked to Kuron and spoke solemnly to Keith.

"So... he was gone all this time?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

After a moment of silence, Ayame began to sob at this as she hugged Belle and continued this as Belle shed her own tears while closing her eyes.

* * *

Out in space, Jenny was still flying by herself in the Galra fighter she escaped in as she quickly grew bored of seeing nameless stars all around her with no sign of other life.

"Ugh... how long is this gonna take?! At this rate, I'll never be able to get to my friends."

At that moment, however, Jenny took notice of the Black Lion flying by and grew hopeful, knowing she could be able to get a signal out of Shiro before she attempted to do so.

"Shiro! Hello, it's Jenny! Are you there?!"

At the Black Lion, Ayame, Belle, and Keith heard her voice and went for the cockpit to respond as she continued to call out.

"Shiro! Shiro?"

Just as Jenny was beginning to get worried, Keith spoke up to the transponder as she grew a big smile.

"Don't worry, Jenny. We'll bring you up."

"Wait, Keith?! Thank goodness, you came back to the Black Lion! I was worried I'd never find you!"

As Jenny sounded off her relief, Belle wipes her tears away before she smiled as Keith spoke up.

"Where are you?"

"Uh, right below you in a Galra fighter jet. It's a long story."

* * *

At the Castle, Coran was doing repairs while being hung on a rope as he swung about the Castle's main engine where Zarix perished previously as Babak hung onto it while voicing his concerns.

"Uh, don't you think this operation is dangerous?"

"I don't have time for safety. I need to get the Castle of Lions back up and running. Diverting power to the main turbine might be the only way!"

"And if you do get it started, then what? What if bolts of electricity fly everywhere once we get it started?"

"That's what we want to happen. That means the ship will be working."

With that, Babak gazed at the blue orb in the center as he began to get nervous as he spoke.

"Now I know how Hunk feels."

* * *

Meanwhile, Pidge, Hunk, Lapis, and Luzria were working on their computers as Coran spoke.

"How's it going, everyone?"

As Pidge sounded off first, Lapis and Luzria spoke up next to give Coran the update.

"It's going well so far."

"We were able to divert to as much power from the teludav to the main turbine as we could."

"If anything else comes up, we'll let you know."

"Nice work!"

At the Castle's main hub, Coran's monitor appeared as he spoke to Allura.

"Okay, it looks like we have the power we need to attempt a system restart. Allura, begin the reboot sequence."

As Allura only stood with a frown on her face, Coran became worried that she couldn't hear him.

"Allura, can you hear me? Is this thing on mute? There's a lot of blood rushing to my head, so I keep hitting the wrong buttons."

As Alphus tried to find out what her mind was on, she walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder before she spoke.

"Allura?"

At that moment, Allura snapped out of her dismal trance and looked back to Coran as she spoke.

"Oh, right. What is it you need?"

"The reboot sequence. Can you run it again?"

As Allura ran the sequence with the summon of the holo-controls, Alphus and Lance could see the hurt and worry on Allura's face as they looked to each other before looking back at her.

At the main turbine room, Babak managed to lift Coran up with a grunt as he spoke.

"Allura has begun the sequence. So, power should be flowing any tick."

"Then let's back up where it won't evaporate us, just to be safe."

As they did so, Coran noticed that the alarm was still present, indicating there wasn't enough power to start with.

"Ugh! What? We're in worse shape than I thought."

"Maybe it's because you kept hitting the wrong buttons?"

Despite Babak's comment, Coran focused on the main issue as he spoke to Allura.

"Looks like we hit another snag. Hold tight!"

At the hub, Krolia spoke up as Romelle, Xarnas, Cilia, and Sapphire went with her, leaving Lance, Alphus, and Allura alone in the room before Alphus spoke up what she had in mind from before.

"Allura, are you alright? You've been getting distracted lately."

"Sorry, Alphus. I'm just so angry with myself for allowing this to happen. I played right into Lotor's hands, and I fear my actions have placed us in this dire situation."

Lance took his turn to speak up next in an attempt to comfort Allura.

"You didn't put us in this situation. It was whoever made Shiro go rogue and released the virus on the Castle."

"No, this is my fault. I trusted Lotor. I helped him build and empower ships, granting him unlimited access to the Quintessence field. I was fooled by him, and it out the entire universe in jeopardy. How can the coalition ever be expected to trust me when I'm not sure I can trust myself?"

Seeing her disheartened, Lance tried his best to make her feel better as he spoke.

"Allura, it wasn't just you who trusted Lotor. We all did. I had more reason than anyone not to trust him, but he did everything right. He didn't just fool you. He fooled us all. Let me tell you, as someone who's made a million mistakes, all you can do is get up and try to make it right. You can't doubt yourself now. We need you. The universe needs you."

Hearing his words of comfort, Allura sighed before she spoke.

"Thank you, Lance. It's no wonder Jenny fancies you."

As Lance smiled at this, the group was visited upon by a communications message from Keith, Ayame, Belle, and Jenny as the Black Paladin spoke up.

"Hailing the Castle of Lions. This is Keith."

"And Ayame."

"Belle, too."

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?"

Seeing them again, including Jenny, Lance grew relieved as he and Allura spoke elatedly.

"Guys, you're okay!"

"Wherever you been? Did you guys get Shiro?"

This made everyone give dismal looks apart from Jenny, who got confused before Belle spoke up.

"We got him, alright, but it's not the Shiro we know. The Shiro that took Lotor and Jenny was actually Kuron."

This made Lance confused as he spoke up.

"Well, then where's the real one?"

"I'd rather not tell you guys. Not like this."

As Belle began to shed tears at this, Jenny could assume the worst before Keith and Ayame spoke to them next.

"I'll explain everything later, but right now, you need to focus on Lotor."

"Along with Jenny's warning about him when she escaped, we've picked up the Sincline ships on the Black Lion's scanners. It looks like Lotor's headed back to your position. Right where you are."

This made Alphus worried as Allura spoke.

"He needs to get back into the Quintessence field."

"We're on our way to you now, but without a wormhole, it's gonna take us a while. You'll have to hold off Lotor without us."

Lance then spoke up to Keith next in determination as he spoke up.

"We'll do what we can."

As the communications ended, Keith closed his eyes and tried to call upon help.

"Shiro, if you're here, I could use your help. I need to get to the team before Lotor."

With that, the Black Lion began to boost again as it traveled closer to the team.

* * *

At the Castle, the Paladins got in their Lions with Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Alphus, Lapis and Rogue Thrust, and Allura who spoke to them as Lapis and her team noticed Xanthia stirring from her sleep and waking up to see the group looking at her before she noticed Adea looking worriedly at her.

"Accessing the Quintessence field has been Lotor's singular drive for millennia. He wants to harness the power for himself, but we cannot let him."

"Adea?"

As Adea smiled and hugged her, Xanthia hugged her back before it showed Allura in the Blue Lion.

"Thankfully, there's only one way into the Quintessence field. Through the inter-reality gate. So we must destroy it."

As the lions were shown to be outside the ruined Daibazaal, Coran spoke to them while they prepared to complete their task.

"Babak and I'll continue working on the Castle to get it up and running before Lotor arrives. It'll be slow going without the Paladins, but we'll get it done."

"Good luck, Coran. We'll need all the help we can get in the fight against Lotor."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lotor spoke to Ezor, Zethrid, and Kurziam as they neared their destination.

"Zethrid, Ezor, my deepest apologies for lying to you both, but in order to gain the princess' trust and make the Paladins of Voltron believe we were truly at odds, it had to be done."

Ezor voiced her opinion on this, as did Zethrid and Kurziam.

"I'm just glad we're on your side again."

"As long as I get to blow something up, I'm good."

"At least you owned up to it."

"Excellent. Today, we will gain access to unlimited Quintessence, and together, we usher in a new era of power."

* * *

At this moment, however, the Paladins weren't going to let it happen as Alphus spoke to Allura out of concern.

"Are you sure about this?"

"We must. It's the only way."

"Are you so sure about that?"

When she heard this, Allura began to her suspicious as she spoke.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not saying I'm on his side, but what if the Quintessence field could've helped those Alteans that were drained? It could help them."

When Allura heard this, she widened her eyes before she began to shed tears at the thought of it before she reiterated her decision adamantly.

"I know... but I can't risk the rest of the Alteans suffering the same fate. Lotor has to be stopped, and this is the only way."

Before Alphus could respond, she found it best not to question her on the matter before she replied solemnly.

"I understand."

With that, all six of the lions used their lasers to destroy the trans-reality gate, thus cutting off Lotor from the Quintessence field before Pidge spoke of another factor in their plan.

"Lotor will be here any second. What's the plan?"

For Allura, the plan was simple. To make Lotor pay. However, there were other factors to consider.

"Well, the Castle of Lions is broken down, so there's no help there. The Black Lion isn't with us so we can't form Voltron. And the Violet Lion's too damaged from the fighting and their trip to the Quantum Abyss, so it can't transform. What about you, Alphus?"

"No luck from me, either. It's run out of enough energy to transform from helping you against the ships."

"Right. We're just going to have to do what we can."

Pidge agreed to it while Hunk felt it was a suicide mission, remembering how easily they were beaten last time.

"Right. Attempt to survive."

"Last time we fought Lotor, we had seven ships and he still kicked our butts. This time, he's gonna have three ships, and we're only gonna have six. Does— does anyone else see where I'm going with this?"

Lance didn't find it helpful as he spoke.

"Zip it, Hunk. No ones interested in your math equations right now. Especially ones that add to us taking a beating."

At that moment, Allura spoke with Coran to see if they're ready yet.

"Coran, how are the repairs coming?"

* * *

In the Castle, Coran was crawling in an air vent with Sapphire, Cilia, and Babak as he groaned before he spoke.

"I'm working on 'em, Princess. The problem is, we need power for the systems that start the main turbine. But if I use that power to engage the systems, I don't have power to run the main turbine. It's a conundrum."

"Coran, without the Castle of Lions backing us up, we might not make it."

"Right. No pressure. Come on, Coran, think! At least I've got Krillin to help me... and Romelle, and Cilia, and Sapphire. Such a cute little thing. Oh, and Babak, and the space mice, and Xarnas, and a cosmic wolf."

As Coran noticed a long way down, ahead of him, he blinked his eyes for a moment before he tumbled down in it and caught himself before he could hit the ground as he busted the vent graying open before he heard Sapphire's giggling above him as she fell down smoothly before she landed on his chest, making him puff out air with a wheeze before she got off and realized the incident.

"Sorry."

With that, Coran rolled away before he spoke to her.

"That's alright. A child like you should need something to cushion the blow."

As Cilia and Babak went down next, the group noticed the array of blue wires around them before Sapphire spoke up.

"There's a box over here."

As Sapphire pointed to it, Coran noticed and spoke up.

"Oh, good eye, Sapphire."

With that, Coran moved the vid out of its place before seeing the writing in it and recognized it.

"Hieronymous Wimbleton? My grandfather's tool kit!"

Hearing this, Babak grew surprised as h spoke.

"You mean that old relic actually made it up till now?"

"Come on, Babak. It can't be that old."

At that moment, however, when he opened it, Coran found himself with a large dust trap over his face before he wheeled again, making Sapphire giggle.

"I stand corrected..."

Despite this, Coran noticed a flask of a familiar substance as he sniffed it before he groaned and spoke.

"And a 10,000 year-old bottle of nunville. Yep, that's Pop-Pop Wimbleton."

This made Cilia curious as she spoke up.

"Excuse me, but who is this Hieronymous Wimbleton, exactly?"

"He's my grandfather. All I've ever wanted to do was live up to his great name. When I first saw his Castle of Lions take to the sky, I knew anything was possible. Now I'm not so sure."

Seeing Coran's spirits go down, Cilia places her hands on his shoulder as she spoke.

"We can't give up now, Coran. The Paladins need us. They need you. You can pull through for them. I know you can."

This made Coran give a warm smile to her as he spoke.

"Thanks, Cilia. You know, this is actually the first time we've spoken together like this."

"Yeah. I guess so."

Unknown to the two of them, Babak was growling and muttering before Sapphire took notice of it and grew confused as he spoke.

"For some reason, I feel the need to make an object explode."

Hearing this, Coran wiggled his ears and widened his eyes before he spoke.

"Wait a tick. Babak, I think you just gave me an idea."

* * *

Meanwhile, out in space, Lance and the others took notice of Lotor's Sincline ships as he spoke.

"We got incoming."

At that moment, they're nearing the Lions as Hunk and Alphus spoke.

"Guys, they're here."

"We know, Hunk. Just hold your positions and let Lotor make the first move."

As the Sincline ships parked just in front of the Lions, Acxa took notice of a greatly affective change in scenery as the one thing they needed was missing.

"Lotor, the gate. It's destroyed."

With it gone, Lotor tried to reason with them in an attempt to win them over again as he spoke.

"We need not fight today. We are all in the same side."

Alphus didn't think so as she replied.

"Are we? You drained those Alteans like they were personal batteries!"

"I know what you all must think of me now that you know my past. It doesn't have to change our future together. The truth is, I want to harness the power of the Quintessence field to better the universe just like I said. Nothing has changed."

Allura took her turn to speak next, still hurt from what Lotor had done. After all, the sad thing about betrayal was that it never comes from an enemy. She loved him dearly, and that led to a terrible price, one she will never pay again.

"You enslaved countless Alteans. Harnessed their life source for your own personal gain. How many innocent lives did you destroy?"

"Allura, I—"

"HOW MANY?!"

Lotor found himself in a moment of silence as he spoke again.

"It's true. Many Alteans perished in my quest to unlock the mysteries of Quintessence. But I protected thousands more, and I rescued their culture, our culture."

As Lotor continued his plea, Zethrid grew outraged as Ezor stated his indifference and Kurziam got a different take on this while Acxa looked on in compassion, knowing of the hate he must be enduring even now. It was the same hate they all had to deal with because of their half-breed lineage.

"Why is he pleading with the Paladins? Why are we not opening fire?"

"I stopped trying to figure out Lotor's master plan long ago. Too complicated."

"Maybe... he actually thought he was friends with them."

"Allura, you must understand I've given everything I have to limb the depths of King Alfor's knowledge to unlock the mysteries of Oriande. Please, Allura, we've come too far together. Surely, you can see the greatness we've already accomplished. There's still more to come. Join me. We're on the same side."

Given what Lotor had done, and how betrayed she felt, Allura wouldn't listen to him anymore.

"NO, WE'RE NOT!"

Immediately, Allura pushed the lever and fired the laser at them, making Alphus worried as she shouted to her before Lotor spoke to his generals.

"Allura! What did I just say?!"

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"

As they did, Lotor continued his plea, confirming Kurziam's theory as she spoke.

"I was right... he thought they understood him..."

"Allura, stop! You, Alphus, Jennifer, and I hold the ancient knowledge of our Altean culture. We were meant to be together. My feelings for you are true, and I know you have feelings for me as well."

While Allura took her feelings into account, her mind still lingered on his actions as she retorted venomously.

"You betrayed and used us. You're more like Zarkon than I could have ever imagined!"

Hearing those words from Allura, Lotor widened his eyes in utter shock as Alphus spoke to Allura before Lotor retorted back in a cold, calm voice, his reason for wanting her replaced with hate and rage.

"Allura!"

"What about your father? He may have been a master engineer, but Alfor was too weak to defend his home world. I'm the one who had to step up and save our entire race. Who are you to question my tactics in bringing peace and prosperity to the universe?"

As the long silence followed, Alphus found herself trembling in anger at his words towards Alfor before she calmed herself down and looked towards Lotor to prepare for his inevitable strike as he sounded it off.

"Destroy the Lions."

With that, the two ships moved in and fired at the Lions as they flew before Allura angrily thrusted her lever at him, propelling Blue towards them as Alphus spoke up.

"Allura, stay with the group!"

While the lions joined the group, the Yellow Lion was shot as the Blue Lion roared as did Allura who went immediately after Lotor, only for him to swiftly dodge her rage-filled attack before she fired a laser at him and tried to get him before it only missed, causing destruction to the surface of a ruined Daibazaal. As Alphus witnessed the firefight in her eyes, she saw a longer flash of herself with moss over her hands as she gasped before she Egan to hyperventilate as Lance spoke up.

"Alphus! What's going on?!"

Before he could get his answer, he was knocked back by one of the Sincline ships before Hunk spoke to Coran.

"Coran, we need your help here! Please tell me you got the Castle up and running!"

* * *

"We're working on it! Krolia, Xarnas, get ready!"

At the Castle, Coran, Cilia, Sapphire, and Babak we're running to the main turbine room as the bodyguard spoke.

"What is the plan?!"

"The combination of the fermented nunville with the energy core should jump-start the main turbine without using any of the Castle's power."

As Coran poured the nunville in a bomb, Cilia became concerned.

"Coran, are you sure setting off a bomb in the turbine is a good idea?"

"No, I'm not sure it's a good idea, but it's our only idea. That's why I need you and Sapphire to wait outside. Babak and I will handle it."

This made Babak concerned as he spoke vexedly.

"And how am I supposed to help?!"

"You said you wanted to make something explode, didn't you? This is it."

As the Paladins took heavy fire from Lotor's ships, Babak could hear their grunts on the communicator before he tensed his hand as he spoke.

"Oh, Quiznak, I must be out of my mind."

As he took the bomb, Babak backed up while Coran, Cilia, and Sapphire did the same thing.

"Here goes nothing. Or everything."

With that, Babak began running to the turbine before chucking it at it with a shout before running the other way as everything went in slow motion before Babak shouted to him in the similar manner.

"Puuuuusssshhhh iiiiiiiiittttttt!"

With that, Coran did so slowly before it triggered an explosion as Babak made it through just in time before the doors closed as he took his breath before everything came online in every room as Xarnas spoke up.

"Coran, whatever you did, it worked! We got an engine online!"

This made Coran excited as he spoke up.

"Woo-hoo! Thank you, Pop-Pop Wimbleton!"

As Coran and the others ran off, Babak gave a huff as he spoke.

"I helped out, too!"

* * *

With that, the Castle began propelling itself in the midst of he firefight as Coran spoke up to them.

"Don't worry, guys, I'm here!"

As the Castle got in between them, Ezor, Zethrid, and Kurziam grunted as the got knocked away before Lance spoke to him.

"Coran, what's going on with the Castle?"

"Well, we've only got one of the engines working, so I'm kind of learning to fly all over again."

Meanwhile, Lotor and Allura resumed their confrontation as the former shot at her and missed while Allura attempted to ram him but missed as Lotor engaged in a broken and darker perspective.

"Once I wipe out Voltron, I'm going to start a new Altea, an Altea that will never know of Princess Allura or King Alfor, nor will they know of the Lions of Voltron. All they'll know is me, their great leader!"

With that, Lotor our more power into his lasers, destroying the debris around Allura as she swiftly dodged the devastating effects of it before he laughed maliciously.

"I'm ready to wipe the universe clean of _all_ my enemies: Voltron, Haggar, and the rest of the Galra!"

Hearing this, Ezor, Zethrid, Kurziam, and Acxa became paralyzed with fear before Acxa spoke up.

"I think it's time for us to sever our ties with Lotor for good. Disengage from the battle. Follow my lead."

With that, the two Sincline ships took off from the battle, confusing Adea as she tried to speak with Ezor about it while also trying to find out more about their issues as Lapis grew peeved.

"What are you doing?!"

"I know them, Lapis. They're not like Lotor."

"And how do you know that?

"For some reason, I can just tell."

This made Lapis widen her eyes before Xanthia stood by her and spoke up.

"Please trust her, Lapis. I do."

Seeing Xanthia as herself again, Lapis gave the two of them a nod.

"If you really believe that, I'll let you do this just once."

With that, Adea nodded back before she attempted a link with her and succeeded as she spoke to Ezor.

"Ezor, what's going on with you?"

"What do you think? We're trying to save our skin from Lotor."

"You don't have to run. You can fight him!"

Unfortunately, Adela's plea was overheard by the increasingly vicious Lotor.

"Even my generals betray me."

With that, Lotor went away from Allura before placing his palm upon a holo-control mat as Ezor spoke.

"With the same ship we have? How much of a chance do you really think we'd—?"

Before Ezor could finish her question, she felt a strong force pulling her, Kurziam, Acxa, and Zethrid in as Ezor and Zethrid were shot out of the ships they were in first, making Adea shout in worry.

"Ezor!"

With closer inspection, Lapis noticed them flying in their suits.

"Don't worry. They're wearing their helmets."

Then, as Kurziam was shot out next, Acxa tried to plea to Lotor.

"Lotor, don't do this!"

Immediately, he ignored her plea as he shot her out of the ship before the three Sincline ships combined with Lotor's craft as the head while the longer of the ships formed the arms and what's left over made the legs before the arms protruded and took form as did its head with purple eyes and a long tail behind it before Sincline revealed its true form. Upon seeing this, Alphus widened her eyes before seeing a flash of its silhouette in the Quintessence field making her realize the bitter truth.

"Oh, no... the visions. They were showing me the future!"

Pidge pointed out a very different matter to attend to as she spoke before Lance, Lapis, Allura, and Hunk replied.

"What is that thing?!"

"He's created his own Voltron."

"Or in this case, it'd be Sincline's true form. Just like White and Violet, but different."

"That is why he was using me. We helped him build it!"

"Well, the good news is, it's now six on one."

At that moment, Adea took notice of Ezor, Zethrid, Kurziam, and Acxa taking off as she grew worried, much to Lapis' notice before she reassured her.

"Don't worry, Adea. We'll see them again. Just as soon as we take down Lotor."

Inside Sincline, Lotor gave a glare to the six Lions as he spoke.

"This... ends... now."

With that, Sincline's purple eyes flared before he darted towards the Paladins swiftly, making Alphus speak in fear, the robot having caused her to snap out of her trance.

"Look out!"

Unfortunately, they couldn't react fast enough as Lotor used Sincline's tail to smack Alphus away before he reached and grabbed Hunk by his own tail before flinging him as he retreated while the Lions fired at him. Alas, due to his speed, it was in vain.

"It's way faster than us!"

Suddenly, he ambushed the Green Lion with an overhead kick. As the clash continued, Coran rapidly worked on the Castle's controls until he accessed the weapons as Babak saw a dismal outcome to this.

"Great. Another Voltron, and it's beating us to Wozblay's door. Now what?"

"I think I've finally got control! Ready the weapons systems!"

This made Xarnas give the bad news as he spoke.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much power to start with! The least it could manage is one shot!"

"Well, then let's make it count. Fire!"

With that, Coran slammed the button and caused the Castle to fire at Sincline as Allura spoke.

"Coran, nice shot!"

However, Lotor was able to counter it as he grunted with a blast from Sincline's chest before it hit the Castle, sending it back on the sidelines as it was in threat of shutting down again as Pidge spoke.

"Impossible! Lotor's weapon has completely repelled the Castle's attack!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Black Lion, Jenny, Belle, Ayame, and Keith received the play-by-play of their fight with Sincline as Lance spoke up to Coran as a prelude to the cacophony that incited fear into their hearts, giving way to despair and misery.

"Coran, shoot him with the cannon again!"

"I can't. That was our last shot."

"Pidge, get out of his line of sight!"

"He's locked onto me. I'm taking heavy fire!"

"Get out of there! I'm coming in! Form jaw-blade!"

"Lance!"

"We can't take this much longer!"

As their voices faded, Ayame began to shed tears of sadness before she spoke to the others.

"When is this going to end? First, Shiro's gone, and now our friends are going to die. And it's all my fault..."

As she said that, Jenny and Belle tried to comfort her.

"Ayame, it's not your fault."

"None of us knew what Lotor really wanted."

"Don't you get it?! I worked with Lotor in trying to bring the Galra Empire to peace so I could avoid this! Look how it's turned out. How many more friends do we have to lose before this is over?"

As Ayame began to sob at this, Jenny and Belle hugged her as the youngest spoke up.

"Hopefully none at all. But don't worry. Keith will help us get there. I know he can..."

Contrary to Jenny's thoughts, Keith found himself in dire straits with the situation as well as he continued speaking for Shiro to help.

"Shiro, I have to her to the Paladins. I need your help."

When he heard no voice to guide him, he began to tense his hand as Keith began to grow desperate.

"Shiro... Shiro...! SHIRO!"

* * *

 _At that instant, Keith was taken in the Black Lion's consciousness before he felt his arm on his shoulder again and noticed him as tears came out of his eyes at the thought of seeing Shiro again._

" _Keith, you can get to them, but you must see them first."_

" _But how?"_

" _See through the Lion's eyes. Patience yields focus."_

 _With that, Shiro and Keith look at an incoming sun rising in the realm as Keith's eyes glowed blue before the Black Lion growled as it's eyes flared up while the light made its way inside before it boosted, making Ayame, Belle, and Jenny brace the incoming speed alongside Keith before he saw for himself the battle taking place as if he's watching it happen._

" _I see them."_

 _Unaware of Ayame's gasps from hearing this, Keith began to push against the levers he held while they looked to each other before Ayame spoke._

" _Belle, hold onto Jenny. I'll help Keith."_

 _And she was right to do so as Keith began to develop difficulty pushing as as Ayame, who could barely stand up, got her hand on his right while he began to see Lance and Pidge before she pushed along with him while placing her left on his and pushed it as he began to see Allura and Hunk while his hands glowed purple before Ayame spoke._

" _You won't be alone, Keith. Never again."_

 _With that, the two began to push on the levers as they braced the pressure while Keith saw Lapis and Alphus before the two of them grunted and yelled out in determination before they successfully pushed against them, making the Black Lion gain an upgrade to its wings and went faster as the four of them braced the blinding light._

* * *

Meanwhile, the lions had all but been defeated as Lotor spoke the last word but out of regret for what could've been.

"It didn't have to end like this, but you've made your choice."

As Lotor prepared to fire a blast from Sincline's chest, Alphus positioned the lion in front of the others to shield them as she glared at Lotor with tears coming down her cheeks before Sincline received an alarm. Not long after, the Black Lion phases quickly through Lotor, disabling him for the moment before the upgrade went away as Lance and Lapis spoke.

"Keith!"

"How did you guys get here do fast?"

"We had some help. Now hurry. We don't have much time. On me! Form Voltron!"

With that, the five lions formed into Voltron before confronting Lotor as he gave a deadly glare their way before Alphus took a deep breath before noticing that the White Lion has recovered thanks to Keith's efforts as she spoke.

"Whatever the future holds, I won't run from my destiny. Or from you."

With that, Alphus slammed her bayard in its key before it transformed into its Voltron form and stood beside the main Voltron while the Violet Lion remained where it was as the three of them all faced Lotor, both sides desperate to end the conflict, one way or the other...


	53. Defenders of the Multiverse

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Just to let you know, after having watched the Season 8 finale of Voltron, I can't help but feel that there were a few things missing in this. And one of them is Lotor. That's why I've decided to take the time to announce that after this story is fully edited and complete to your specifications, I am making a TRUE Series Finale Story (comprised of Seasons 7, 8, and an additional 9th) called 'Fall of the Defenders'. Season 9 will take place before the epilogue and after the battle with Honerva in Season 8, though I can't tell you how it'll end. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. It was a real tearjerker for me to write. Most importantly, I hope your opinions will make it all worth it.**

 **Chapter 52** : Defender of the Multiverse

In outer space, Lotor faced Voltron and its White counterpart while the Violet was in its Lion form before Keith looked to Lapis and spoke.

"Lapis, can you transform yet?"

"I wish I could, but it still hasn't recovered yet."

"Then just hang back and make sure everyone gets to safety. I'm sending the others your way."

"Got it."

"Coran, you've got incoming."

With that, Keith sent Jenny, Belle, and the comatose Kuron in a pod as they took off for the Castle before the Violet Lion followed suit as the two Voltrons stood against Lotor who prepared a purple orb of Quintessence in its palm before firing it as a laser, forcing Voltron to block as Keith gave a command.

"Shield!"

As Voltron blocked it, the White Voltron lunged at Sincline, only for it to block its punch, which was according to plan as Keith spoke to Hunk.

"Hunk, form cannon!"

"You got it!"

As Hunk slammed his bayard into the key, Voltron created a cannon on its shoulder before it fired a blue Quintessential laser from it, urging the Sincline to shove Alphus away before boosting up away to prevent from being hit as it then flew another direction while Voltron kept its cannon on. But unfortunately, the Sincline was still evading the cannon as it proved much faster than the pace Voltron could manage to turn as Lance spoke to Keith.

"He's too fast!"

"Then we'll have to get in close. Form sword!"

With that, Keith slammed his bayard into his key, urging Voltron to form a sword before Sincline to form two scimitars in preparation as it dashed towards its foe before it collided its swords with Voltron's, creating a residue of a fusion of Light and Dark Quintessence as Lotor spoke.

"Now we will see how Alfor's legacy stands against the new Altean Defender."

With that, Lotor didn't hesitate to move in and attack Voltron as he motioned Sincline to force Voltron back before it prepared to slash at him, the action which Keith took notice of before he spoke up.

"Move!"

With that, Voltron was fortunate to have moved as when it did, Sincline sliced through a meteor, causing it to come apart before it sought after Voltron, who looked around for any sign of Lotor before finding itself under siege, only for Alphus to block Lotor with the dual naginata it forged as it and the main counterpart began to duel with Sincline, making it use one sword for each of the Voltrons. During the clash, Sincline blocked their attacks before spinning and using his tail to whack the Paladins away as Keith and Alphus groaned before the main Voltron was about to be besieged again.

"Shield up!"

Although they were able to block just in time, the tremor from such a speedy and equally strong foe shook them as much as the ion cannon would've done on impact before Keith spoke to Pidge.

"Attack!"

With that, Pidge took the opportunity to strike back as she lodged on the lever, making the Green Lion fire a laser, knocking Simcline back before it retreated as Voltron took fire at him before Sincline, after its many evasive maneuvers used one of his scimitars to block the blast before the White Voltron took its turn to clash with its naginata against his scimitars before in the end, Sincline used its tail to smack the White Voltron into its main counterpart before Pidge, Hunk, Ayame, and Keith spoke up.

"We can't touch him. He's too fast."

"We need to stop him from moving around so much. Back him into a corner or something."

"We could try using one of the debris to give us an opening. We just need the right timing."

"Hunk and Ayame are right. We need to eliminate his speed advantage. Limit his movements."

At that moment, they spotted a perfect crater with the necessary angle to achieve it as Keith shouted.

"There!"

As both Voltrons took off towards the crater, Alphis grew concerned about the plan's benefits as she spoke to Keith.

"Sincline's after us. Now what?"

"Now we lure him in close."

As they stopped at the crater of their interest, Lotor assumed they intended to use it as a smokescreen and halted before instead using his chest laser on them. As it drew close, Alphus grew anxious and both Voltrons used their shields to block the incoming Quintessential blast before Sincline attempted to get at the Voltrons from one side, only to hit the asteroid instead. With that, it tried to attack them with the laser from their other side, only to miss them as well. That's when it hit Lotor. They were using it as another shield. This didn't strike him as significant, however, as he was more than certain that Sincline would do away with them soon. With that, he began to charge directly in front of the two as Keith spoke of the signal.

"Wait for him. Let him build up speed."

As he barreled right at the Voltrons, Lotor had his scimitar ready to cut them down before Keith saw the moment to move and shouted.

"Now!"

With that, both Voltrons went out of the way, making Sincline crash onto the crater before they both used their lasers to push him down, thus giving Sincline an immeasurable amount of damage, much to Lotor's frustration as he attempted to give his creation a boost before it got out of the way and it pierced through the crater, splitting it in half before Hunk realized Sincline had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?"

When they turned around, Alphus gasped and chimes in the location of their foe before Keith spoke to Hunk.

"He's behind us. How did he get through that?"

"Hunk, hit him with the shoulder cannon."

"On it!"

With that, Voltron began charging its cannon with a big blast while Lotor found it insignificant as he tapped in the controls to pull another trick up his sleeve as Keith shouted.

"Fire!"

With that, Voltron fired its shoulder cannon at Lotor before he gave a smirk towards it as the laser neared him. At that moment, however, Sincline vanished just before the laser could hit it making Lance and Hunk confused while Ayame became worried.

"Did we get him?"

"I don't know."

"I think we got him."

Pidge had evidence to point to it as the energy cannon had missed its target before she and Lance spoke before Ayame voiced her doubts.

"It looked like he just disappeared."

"Yeah! We got him."

"I'm not so sure about that, guys."

At that moment, Sincline reappeared, coated in a blue-purple aura around it before landing a punch to Voltron, sending it back before the White Voltron turned with Alphus glaring at it before she yelled out and urged it to fight Sincline as she shouted at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the castle, Kuron was placed inside a sleeping chamber with Belle, Jenny, Krolia, Adea, and Coran watching over his body before Jenny heard a collision and ran out of the hall. When Jenny reached the main hub, she arrived just in time to see the White Voltron combat Sincline who teleported repeatedly while the main Voltron was down, making her widen her eyes as she tensed her fists. For whatever reason, seeing her friends hurt like that with her powerless to do anything made Jenny more angry than despaired. With that, she immediately ran back out, determined to help her friends any way she could.

* * *

As the White Voltron had difficulty fighting Sincline and it's repetitive teleportation, Keith checked the status of his group.

"Is everyone okay?"

As an answer, he only heard Pidge and Hunk's answer in the form of questions.

"How is he moving so fast?"

"How can he just disappear like that?"

As Allura watched Alphus combat the brutal Lotor in vain as he kicked her before he sledgehammered her and teleported before he kneed the White Voltron and punched it down again, she came up with a very unfortunate answer.

"He's... entering the Quintessence field at will."

This made Hunk and Pidge concerned as they spoke.

"Didn't we blow up the gate?"

"How is he entering without it?"

"Because I gave his ships the ability."

As Alphus was forced back by Sincline, Lotor spoke proudly of his newfound strength.

"Unlimited power is mine! All realities will fall to the new Altean Empire!"

As Lotor prepared its chest beam and fired it, Alphus couldn't do anything to block it before the main Voltron moved in between them and blocked the laser with its shield, pushing the both of them back before the resulting equilibrium from the collision caused a detonation that knocked Voltron and its White counterpart out as Lotor took his deep breath before he received an alarm, stating he needed more power. Fortunately, he knew just where to find some: the Quintessence field. Seeing this as his victory, Lotor teleported into the field, leaving Voltron and the White Voltrin alone as Keith grunted from the collision while Alphus could barely stand after such brute force as he spoke first.

"We have to go after him. Getting power from the Quintessence is the only way we can match his strength."

"And how... do you suggest we do that?"

This raised questions from Hunk and Pidge as they chimed in.

"Can we do that?"

"If he can do it, Voltron can. Can't we?"

To be frank, Allura hadn't considered the possibility of what they'll do once they do get there. The Quintessence field was said to be corrosive of the soul, and that was a risk she did not want to chance on.

"My father did it once before, but it's extremely dangerous."

Lance and Keith thought differently as they spoke.

"Do we have a choice? We need you, Allura."

At that moment, they heard Jenny's voice as she spoke while riding in a mini pod.

"Don't forget me or Alphus."

When the two Voltrons noticed her, they grew surprised as Lance spoke up.

"Jenny? What took you so long?"

"It wasn't easy setting up Kuron in the healing chamber. That guy's heavy. Anyway, I heard what you guys said. That's why I'm here. Alphus, can I join you in the White Lion?"

This made Alphus concerned as she raised her eyes.

"What? But your connection—"

"Isn't all that strong, I know. But I can't just sit by and let my friends get hurt. I have to try. We all do."

As Jenny said this, the pod entered the White Voltron's chest before Jenny went to the cockpit where Alphus was as Allura spoke up.

"Alright. The three of us may be axle to guide us in, but we'll need you all to focus your energy."

With that, the main group of Voltron closed their eyes and took deep breaths as they found themselves entering the Voltrons' minds pace before Allura opened her eyes and saw through Voltron's eyes the point to enter while Jenny and Alphus did the same with the White Voltron, seeing the same entry point as the main paladins before Allura spoke up.

"Form sword."

With that, the main Voltron used a blazing sword while the White Voltron used a dual naginata before they took off for the entry point and stabbed at it, causing a crack in space time before the rift expanded to let them in the unknown realm.

* * *

In the Quintessence field, Keith and the others opened their eyes in awe as they took in the sight around them before meeting Sincline in front of them far away as he spoke.

"I underestimated you, Princess. You, Alphus, and Jennifer. I will not make that mistake again."

With that, Lotor motioned his Sincline to attack them as the three titans clashed with each other with Alphus blocking Lotor's tail swipe and scimitar as they quickly flew about, spinning around before Sincline hit the Voltrons' swords, sending the three of them back before Pidge spoke up of a surprising fact as Hunk stated a reason for this.

"We took a major shot, but I feel fine."

"All this quintessence is keeping us at full power."

At this moment, Alphus spoke up as she and Jenny heard voices all around them, making the youngest tear up after having been denied its voice for some time.

"It's more than that. Can you hear your Lions talking to you?"

"Now that you mention it... I think I do."

"This proves it. These Voltrons are capable of more than we ever imagined."

With that, the White Voltron's chest began to glow brightly before firing a blast while the main Voltron shot blue Quintessence from its eyes, both forcing Lotor back as he grunted before engaging Sincline to fight again as he went towards them while the VoltronForce charged as Keith shouted.

"Attack!"

With that, all seven of the Paladins that entered the Quintessence field shouted at the top of their lungs as they charged before they clashed again with the speed on both sides increasing as did their brutality as Lotor laughed before he went above them as Pidgr shouted.

"See if you can dodge this!"

With that, Voltron immediately shot the Green Lion's head at Sincline, forcing it back as it could only manage to dodge it before it went back to Voltron while Lance prepared a lightning laser from the Red Lion's head.

"Come and get some!"

With that, it struck a major blow to Sincline before Lotor grunted and groaned in frustration as Allura took a deep breath before Pidge, Lance, Hunk, and even Jenny began to give in to their nature to fight to the end.

"Let's end this!"

"Finish him!"

"Make him bleed!"

"Let's destroy that guy!"

However, it was at this moment that Allura realized what was happening to them as she spoke before Ayame grew worried on the meaning of it.

"We have to get out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is exactly what happened to Zarkon. Exposure to all this Quintessence turned him into a monster!"

As Allura said this, Jenny spoke up about what she had just said and regretted it.

"Oh, no. I can't believe I actually said that."

At that moment, Lotor took off his helmet and laughed maniacally as he spoke.

"Poor Allura! All the power in the universe at your fingertips and you _still_ fear using it."

As Lotor moved in to attack, Lance and Pidge spoke up about the situation.

"Allura's right. We're out of control!"

"All of our systems are overloaded."

At that moment, Ayame noticed Lotor closing in as she spoke.

"And here comes Lotor."

As he moved in, the Voltrons were forced to flee as Jenny spoke worriedly to Alphus.

"We're being chased like a dog here!How do we stop this?"

As Jenny looked to her, Alphus saw a flash of her older before she spoke to the others.

"Guys, stop running."

"What?"

With that, the Voltrons stopped and stood in front of Lotor before she answered.

"Allura, you know what we have to do?"

Allura nodded as she spoke.

"Yes. If Lotor wants all that power, he can have it."

With that, Jenny got the message and widened her eyes in realization.

"Oh. Right. I hope this works."

With that, Jenny, Allura, and Alphus closed their eyes before both their chests flowed brightly and fired a large stream of Divine Quintessence at the charging Lotor as he grunted or a moment before he yelled out, using his scimitars to block the rays, only to be overpowered before being knocked away. Despite this, he still pressed onward as he lurched forward at them. As he got closer and closer, it became more difficult to resist the blast before he yelled out again, adding more thrust into his Sincline, determined to overpower them as the Paladins looked on at the scene apart from those initiating the attack before they expanded it, making Lotor scream out in deranged determination before he was finally overpowered with the leftover Quintessence surging on what was left of Sincline before the pilots of the White Lion took a deep breath before complications began to arise with the Voltrons as Keith, Pidge, Jenny, and Hunk spoke.

"Let's grab Lotor and get out of here."

"No, we can't. We have to leave now."

"But we've got to try!"

"Pidge is right. We stay in here much longer and Voltron is done for."

As they grunted, Allura still felt concerned about Lotor as she spoke.

"But we can't just leave him!"

As Allura braced the shocks, Lance and Keith spoke to her while Alphus looked back to Lotor as she realized the White Voltron was closest to him.

"Allura, we gotta go now."

"Lotor's made his choice. Let's get out of here, Allura."

At that moment, she remembered Lotor's words when he had the edge.

* * *

" _It didn't have to end like this, but you've made your choice."_

* * *

With that, Alphus gave a determined look as she spoke up to the Paladins.

"Let me make mine."

With that, as Jenny grew confused, Alphus motioned the White Voltron to grab Sincline and hold him tight as she jumped out of the cockpit, scaring Jenny as she spoke.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

To answer her, Alphus turned her bayard into an Altean broadsword as the others tried to convince her not to do this.

"Alphus, stop!"

"There's not enough time!"

Alphus didn't care about that as she raised her bayard with a bellow before she stabbed through Sincline's eye and tried to pry it open as she grunted with a yell before revealing Lotor unconscious in the cockpit before she grabbed him from the Sincline and placed him on her shoulder before Jenny spoke up.

"Uh, you mind hurrying this up? White can't last much longer in here, either."

As electrical surges struck around the White Voltron, Alphus had a tragic realization as she spoke.

"If I don't get there soon, we'll both be lost."

Then, it was at that moment that Alphus looked at her right hand and saw a longer flash of her covered in moss as she looked back to Jenny, who appeared to have grown much older to about her age before she gave a teary smile and spoke to herself.

"Jenny... please forgive me."

With that, Alphus jumped towards the White Voltron before pushing Lotor into its path before Jenny caught him as she noticed Alphus going away, much to her increasing worry as she shouted.

"Alphus, what are you doing?! We can't leave without you!"

"Yes, you can. I have to stay."

"No! There's gotta be another way! There has to be! I can't pilot it! I lost my connection!"

At that moment, the White Voltron shut its chest on the two of them before Alphus, whose eyes are now glowing bright blue, held her hand out to it and motioned it to face the main Voltron as Jenny banged on it, trying to break free and bring Alphus with her before she spoke.

"I'll be with you, Jenny... now go!"

With that, both Voltrons took off without her as Jenny screamed at the top of her lungs for her.

"NO! ALPHUS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

As they faded away, Alphus floated by herself inside the Quintessence field as she laid inside the cockpit of the Sincline, her final resting tomb as she said goodbye one last time with tears flowing in her eyes.

"Jenny... I'm sorry. It was my destiny..."

* * *

Outside the Quintessence field, both Voltrons with the addition of the now comatose Lotor inside the White Voltron, Jenny beat her fists on its chest, crying hysterically at her loss of Alphus as she shouted.

"Alphus! Come back! You have to come back! You have to! You have to—"

As Jenny began to sob uncontrollably, Allura heard every sound of agony from her as did Lance as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jenny. It's what she wanted."

"Lance is right. She knew if we'd stayed in the Quintessence field, we would've kept fighting until we destroyed ourselves. She wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Not even on Lotor."

Jenny didn't find that comforting in the least as she shouted again before Lance spoke up.

"But it's not fair! She shouldn't have to do that! I want her back!"

"We all do. But Alphus knew it had to be done. We couldn't change her mind even if we wanted to. But I'm sure she saved you for a good reason. She knows you'll gain its trust again. With or without her, Jenny, you are one of the the most caring person in the universe any of us have ever met. If anyone deserved that chance, is you. Alphus knew that right away. She wouldn't want you to make her sacrifice be in vain."

As she heard Lance's words, Jenny's sobs were lowering to a minimum before she tried to reply without breaking her voice.

"Lance... thank you."

With Jenny calmed down, Keith spoke to Allura about their power.

"What did you guys do in there?"

"We transferred the excess power from both Voltrons. It's a technique we learned on Oriande. Thanks to Lotor."

Hearing this, Lance looked towards the crater where they escaped as did Jenny before the heartbroken girl spoke her gratitude first.

"Thank you, Alphus. You saved us all."

"Not just us. The entire universe."

"Not even that... all of the universes out there."

At that moment, Coran saw that both Voltrons were now out of the Quintessence field as he spoke elatedly while Belle spoke up to Jenny, who replied determinedly, knowing that Alphus gave Lottie a chance for a reason in spite of the growing hate she has for him now.

"Oh, you're back!"

"What happened out there?"

"Lotor is unconscious, but he won't be a threat anymore."

At that moment, Coran pulled up a map to show the current condition that will escalate into a more serious result.

"Right. I'm afraid we face a bigger threat now. All of Lotor's jumping in and out of the Quintessence field has created multiple growing rifts in the fabric of time and space."

This made Lance worried as he spoke before Pidge told him the result of this.

"What does that mean?"

"It means unless we do something fast, those tears will continue to expand until all of existence as we know it has been destroyed."

This made Keith concerned as he spoke up.

"There has to be something we can do."

With that, Pidge and Hunk got to work on finding any solution that could solve the issue as Jenny sat by herself in the cockpit staring angrily at Lotor.

"Scanning the rift for any strand refabrication possibilities."

"I'm running a few different models now to see if there's any chance it can close on its own."

While Pidge and Hunk did this, they didn't find the results they desired.

"Nothing."

"Nope. Me, neither."

Keith then checked with Coran on the timing before Lance spoke up.

"How long do we have?"

"Well, based on the way those rifts are expanding, I'd say about 15 doboshes."

"Allura, you have to have a way to close it. Voltron opened it up, maybe we can... I don't know, but there's gotta be a way!"

"I'm sorry, but I just don't possess that level of alchemic knowledge."

With the others having no luck, Jenny began to suggest a very dark idea, even for her.

"Lotor caused all of this. Why don't we just toss him in the rift?"

Surprised by a dark response as she was, Pidge knew it wouldn't pan out as planned.

"That won't work. The only thing that could possibly pull that rift closed would be a source of gravity more powerful than a supermassive black hole."

As Lance tried to find a solution, Coran spoke of one.

"Any chance we can find one and tow it over here in 15 doboshes?"

"Wait a tick. The teludav."

This made Keith reply confusedly before Coran explain.

"What about it?"

"In order to make wormhole jumps, the teludav creates a brief flash of infinite mass. There might be a way I can overload the teludav reactor and seal the rift. If one of the flashes went off in the rift, it could do the job."

As Coran said this, they also dawned on another realization as Hunk spoke.

"But that would mean sacrificing the Castle of Lions."

Sewing as they had no other option, Pidge spoke up in favor of Coran's idea.

"Well, what choice do we have? The Castle will be wiped out with the rest of us."

"But still... it's been our home."

This gave Coran good for thought as he spoke.

"Oh, I hate to say goodbye to my grandfather's creation, the last piece of the real Altea."

With that, Allura became confident in what it is they have to do.

"Coran, Babak, begin preparations. Everyone else, start unloading the Castle. We need to evacuate immediately."

* * *

Later, Pidge, Jenny, and Lance were shown to be extracting the data from the teludav and shutting down the generator with Coran.

Later, it showed Krolia holding Kuron's pod while Xarnas held Lotor's pod as Xanthia looked at him and found herself sighing as she was accompanied by Adea, who placed her hand on her shoulder.

In Pidge's room, she and a few of the creatures she brought from her trip in the garbage galaxy by the wormhole after their first fight with Zarkon, moved her stuff out of the room before Lapis got her stuff out of the way with Luzria, Belle, and Atchiam helping her before Allura picked up the mice and noticed a hologram of her parents together before she took it.

In another room, Lance went in to help Jenny move stuff out of her room, only to see her holding a picture of her and her family before she began to shed tears before she noticed Lance and sob on him before he brushed her hair back in an attempt to provide comfort while Keith and Ayame were getting their stuff easily packed before he noticed her looking dismal as he placed his finger gently in her face and wiped away the tear that lingered before she smiled.

Meanwhile, Babak was having difficulty moving Kaltenecker onto the Red Lion as he grunted while Sapphire rode on her with Cilia giggling at the scene before it showed Sandra with Hunk packing all of the food goo before they looked to each other with hope, while in the Red Lion, Lance looked determinedly out front with Kaltenecker mooing before showing Pidge doing the same. In the Blue Lion, Allura was watching as the space mice got ready alongside Cilia, Sapphire, Xanthia, and Romelle, while Babak stayed with Ayame, Jenny, and Lotor in the White Lion before she spoke to herself.

"You said you'll be with me... what did you mean?"

In the Violet Lion, Lapis checked with her team as they got the items they needed before she smiled with Krolia and Xarnas accompanying them while in the Castle, Coran brushed his hand on it one last time before he spoke.

"Goodbye, old friend."

With that, he walked away before the alarms went off as all the lions took off before Coran showed to be in the Blue Lion with the others and Allura before moments later, the Castle's teludav generator self-destructed, instantly destroying the rooms as the Castle went inside the rift, triggering an explosion that shrunk the rift to a tiny ball before a supernova occurred shortly after as the Paladins had to brace the impact before the explosion was finally over as the light dimmed to a very small size with a twinkle. With the ordeal over, Hunk spoke to the others about the progress.

"It worked."

Hearing this, Allura turned to Coran and spoke to him.

"You did it, Coran."

At that moment, Hunk noticed something else as he propelled closer to it as he noticed a small crystal floating in space as he and Sandra spoke.

"Whoa. You seeing this?"

"Yeah. It's a diamond. The pressure crushed the Castle of Lions into this little diamond."

With that, the Yellow Lion opened its jaw and closed it once it entered before Lance spoke of their actions as Keith, Allura, and Pidge smiled while Jenny couldn't bear to smile anymore as she had lost all reason to with Ayame noticing.

"Well, we saved all realities everywhere. What do you guys want to do now?"

Keith had an idea as he spoke up.

"We need to find a good place to land and see if there's any way we can help Shiro."

With that, the Lions darted to a galaxy in front of them, hoping to find a place to do just that.

* * *

On a faraway planet, as Keith laid Kuron on his back, he had already explained the whole story to the others.

"This body is barely living, but Shiro's is alive. It's inside the Black Lion. I've heard him talking to me."

At that moment, Lance became saddened when he realized what Shiro was trying to say on Olkarion. And, regrettably, he didn't get the message in time.

"He... he tried to tell me, but I-I didn't realize."

With that, Lance ran to Shiro and knelt down before Belle joined him as he spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Shiro. I—I didn't know. I could've..."

As Lance began to sob, Belle placed her hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing you could've done, Lance. There wasn't anything any of us could do."

At that moment, Allura smiled to the both of them, confusing them before she walked towards the Black Lion and placed her hands on the Black Lion before she tapped into its essence, which made its way around the whole body, making Ayame, Jenny, Lance, Belle, and the others surprised as the light went all the way to Allura before her whole body was coated in a purple light while her eyes glowed light blue, making Jenny gasp before she spoke.

"Whoa..."

With that, Allura placed her hands on Kuron's head as she coated his whole body with the essence before it went away from him and the essence faded from him, too, his hair turned completely white. For a while, nothing had happened before Shiro's eyes flashed open with purple before his irises returned and he sat up coughing as Ayame and Keith gave him the comfort he needed Egypt he groaned and leaned on him before the Lions roared in celebration, scaring Romelle while everyone cheered, including Babak, Cilia, Sapphire, Hunk, and Coran while Lance, Jenny, Xanthia, Adea, Lapis, Atchiam, Luzria, and the rest had tears of joy before Shiro spoke to Keith, Ayame, and Allura.

"You found me."

"We're glad you're back, Shiro."

"This universe wouldn't be the same without you."

"Rest."

With that, Takashi sighed as he closed his eyes before Hunk spoke up.

"So what are we gonna do? The Castle is destroyed."

Pidge had one idea before she spoke up.

"There's only one place that has the plans necessary to build a replacement for the Castle of Lions. Coran gave them to my dad."

Hearing this, Belle and Jenny widened their eyes before they spoke.

"Hold on."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Keith confirmed it with a smile as he spoke to them.

"We're going home."


End file.
